‘The Level of Foolishness Here is Unprecedented’: Researchers Pitch ‘One-and-Done’ COVID-Flu Vaccine for Babies

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, proposed a new RNA-based vaccine they said could…

Children's Health Defense

Researchers are pitching a new vaccine that, according to Forbes, could give infants long-lasting protection from COVID-19 and flu with a single “one-and-done” shot — perhaps even leading to a “universal vaccine.”

The research article, published on April 17 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) by scientists at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), described how a single dose of a vaccine using “small interfering RNA” (siRNA) molecules demonstrated a “rapid and long-lasting protective immunity” against a lethal virus challenge in immune-deficient mice.

The researchers proposed that an siRNA-based flu vaccine could protect infants without relying on maternal antibodies, according to a UCR press release.

They are considering a nasal spray delivery method instead of the typical intramuscular shot, as “respiratory infections move through the nose, so a spray might be an easier delivery system.”

Experts who spoke with The Defender raised concerns about the lack of human trials and the novel technology’s safety and long-term effects on vulnerable populations.

“The level of foolishness here is unprecedented,” said Brian Hooker, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at Children’s Health Defense. “The immune systems of infants simply cannot tolerate this type of infective agent,” he said. “It will lead to breakthrough infections and higher levels of mortality…