SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is under fire after airing his reaction to a report about Moderna increasing the cost of its vaccines.
Elon Musk Reacts to Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines' Price Hike Modern
News outlet Slashdot shared a report about Moderna announcing its plan to increase the price of its Coronavirus vaccines by 400%. The announcement did not sit well with the Twitter and Tesla CEO, who did not think twice about sharing his thoughts.
Musk says the 400% price hike "seems extortionately high." While the statement is true, what irked many is the following statement, where he seemingly questioned the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.
Musk still does not know whether "a second booster helps or hurts" when all things are considered.
Several immediately fired back at Musk, slamming him for questioning the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. Joe Rader asked how vaccines hurt.
Rader also pointed out that if Musk is concerned about blood clots, there is still no evidence it causes higher than the base rate among various age groups. However, there is enough evidence showing that COVID-19 causes blood clots. Rader also pointed out that vaccination protects the elderly.
Ex-FBI agent James Harris also roasted Musk, saying that a second booster helps prevent infection, hospitalization, and death. He also shared an article supporting his point.
While some slammed Musk for seemingly questioning the effectiveness of vaccines, several netizens also sided with him.
One claimed that the COVID-19 shots only prolong the pandemic. Herd immunity would have been attained, which would be over if they had succeeded. The persistence is the proof, the online user wrote.
A different person shared that she had Moderna 2 vaccine and two Pfizer boosters. She notes that CDC recommends a booster every six months, but she's also wondering if they work because she doesn't understand the need for additional shots. The user said she has a vaccinated co-worker who was wearing masked but still contracted the coronavirus.
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Moderna Announces 400% Price Hike in COVID-19 Vaccines
Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said that the company is considering raising the price of COVID-19 vaccines by over 400 percent from $26 between $110 and $130 per dose, The Wall Street Journal reported.
If the company pushes with its plans, it will match the previously announced price hike for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines.
Speaking at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco Monday, Bancel said the price hike is "consistent with the value."
The mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech have been purchased by the government and are offered to Americans for free. However, the federal government is slowly backing away from distributing the vaccines because the manufacturers are moving to the commercial market.
While Moderna has just announced its price hike plan, lawmakers have already criticized Pfizer for the same announcement, Arstechnica reported.
Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) sent a letter to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla last month, calling the steep price increase "pure and deadly greed." They also accused the company of profiting from the situation.
The senators asked Pfizer to halt their plan price increase and ensure that the COVID vaccines are reasonably priced and accessible to all people across America.
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