Epidemiologist says creation of COVID-19 vaccine is “like Star Trek”; actor George Takei encourages fans to get vaccinated

Moderna, one developer of a COVID-19 vaccine nearing approval

DECEMBER 14, 2020 - A Boston University epidemiologist has said the creation of some COVID-19 vaccines is “like Star Trek”.

As the world is gripped by a dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases, a light at the end of the tunnel is starting to emerge. NPR affiliate WBUR reported that biotech company Moderna is on the verge of having a vaccine approved for distribution after two months of successful clinical trials. The vaccine’s approval is expected some time this week, just days after a vaccine from the joint efforts of Pfizer and BioNTech was approved for use in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Moderna’s phase three clinical trials produced exceptional results. After two months of study, the vaccine showed a 94.1% efficacy rate against COVID-19 with no outstanding health concerns. The Moderna vaccine, like the earlier Pfizer one, uses modified mRNA, or messenger RNA. The genetic code of the mRNA strand is used to direct cells to construct a spike on the coronavirus cell, which the immune system uses to defend against the virus.

On the method used to create the vaccine, Boston University epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Linas said, “It’s like Star Trek. [No one has ever] made vaccines in this way [...] the potential to rip out new vaccines is incredible. All you do is sequence the virus, come up with the snippet of RNA, and you’re off to the races.” While Linas’s characterization of the process is undoubtedly simplified (just a little bit!), it nonetheless indicates how novel the method is. WBUR noted that, beyond using it for the COVID-19 vaccine, it has the potential to be used to treat disease, cancer, bacterial infections, and even spinal cord injuries.

Of course, developing the vaccine is one thing, and making sure it gets taken is another. And at least one Star Trek star is trying to make that process “like Star Trek”, too.

Original Series actor and outspoken activist George Takei took to Twitter recently to remind fans of the importance of getting vaccinated, and that the ideals and values of Star Trek should apply to the very real crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the tweet, Takei wrote, “If you are a Star Trek fan, but you refuse to get vaccinated, then you are not living up to the ideals of Star Trek. Science, logic, and compassion require us to all do our part.”

If you are a Star Trek fan, but you refuse to get vaccinated, then you are not living up to the ideals of Star Trek. Science, logic, and compassion require us to all do our part.

— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) December 7, 2020

For more information on COVID-19 vaccines in the United States, please visit the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) website at cdc.gov, and for more about COVID-19 vaccines generally, visit the World Health Organization at who.int.