SDP presses PM Wong for answers on ministers' Su Haijin photo controversy; Long A&E wait times hit hospitals: Singapore live news
And that's a wrap. Thanks for tuning in. We'll catch y'all again tomorrow.
Hello to all our readers, Yahoo Singapore will be bringing you live news updates today. The editorial team will be curating the latest must-know local and international news.
Singapore's opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has called for a public Commission of Inquiry after photographs surfaced showing two ministers and the NTUC Secretary-General dining with convicted money launderer Su Haijin. The SDP is pressing for answers on the purpose of the dinners, whether COVID-19 regulations were breached, and whether the guests were properly vetted. The party emphasised the need to clarify whether the events were attended in an official capacity. The three MPs involved have denied any improper relationships with Su, threatening lawsuit against a Facebook user who falsely accused them of ties to Su. The photos were leaked online by Charles Yeo, a former Reform Party leader. The SDP warns that continued silence from the government could damage Singapore's global reputation for clean governance, pressing Prime Minister Lawrence Wong for answers.
Several major hospitals in Singapore are seeing a spike in emergency department visits, with Changi General Hospital (CGH), Sengkang General Hospital (SKH), and Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) warning of longer wait times. Patients with non-urgent symptoms are encouraged to seek care at general practitioners (GPs) or Public Health Preparedness Clinics. The hospitals stress that emergency departments should be reserved for serious or life-threatening cases only. This comes amid concerns over healthcare capacity and workforce strain. Read on what patients need to know now about the A&E overload here.
The 2025 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix is turning up the volume. Foo Fighters, The Smashing Pumpkins, CL, and Alan Walker are among the global powerhouses joining Elton John and G-Dragon for a three-day mega festival from 3-5 October. The event blends high-octane racing with world-class music across multiple stages, featuring names like Babymetal, Crowded House, and The Wombats. From K-pop icons to rock legends and EDM trailblazers, this year's lineup promises to be the most explosive yet. With ticket demand surging, fans are urged to grab passes while they last.
Read more in our live blog below, including the latest local and international news and updates.
Singapore's opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) is calling for a public Commission of Inquiry after images surfaced showing two ministers and the NTUC chief dining with Su Haijin, a convicted money launderer.
In a strongly worded statement, the SDP questioned why Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat, and NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng were pictured with Su, who was part of a $3 billion money laundering ring and allegedly tied to the Fujian gang. The three Singapore MPs are taking legal action against a Facebook user who falsely accused them of ties to Su.
The party raised four key issues: the purpose and timing of the dinners, whether COVID-19 rules were breached, guest vetting protocols, and the officials' capacity at the events. The SDP emphasised that silence in the wake of the controversy would undermine Singapore's reputation for incorruptibility.
Photos, originally posted by ex-Reform Party chair Charles Yeo, have since gone viral. All officials involved denied any improper relationship with Su and claimed they had no knowledge of his background at the time.
The SDP urged Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to directly address the matter, warning that transparency and public accountability are critical in the wake of recent high-profile corruption cases.
Singapore's major hospitals are urging the public to avoid emergency departments unless facing life-threatening conditions. Changi General Hospital (CGH), Sengkang General Hospital (SKH), and Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) report a surge in patients, causing unusually long wait times.
In social media updates, CGH and SKH advised that only those with serious emergencies should seek care at A&Es. Meanwhile, TTSH's website warns of delays in both consultations and admissions.
Those with coughs, sore throats, or other mild symptoms are urged to visit general practitioners or Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs) instead. These clinics can be located through www.phpc.gov.sg.
This move helps healthcare workers focus on critical cases and maintain emergency readiness.
Read on why you should skip the A&E for minor symptoms here.
Get ready to rock at full throttle. The 2025 Singapore Grand Prix just unveiled a stacked music lineup featuring Foo Fighters, CL and The Smashing Pumpkins.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Foo Fighters (@foofighters)
Running from 3-5 October, the star-studded event turns the Marina Bay Street Circuit into a high-octane music festival. Global icons like Alan Walker, Elton John and G-Dragon will share the spotlight with indie darlings and K-pop heavyweights.
This year's entertainment will span multiple stages – from the iconic Padang Stage to the more intimate Sunset and Esplanade venues – offering something for every music fan.
The lineup also includes Babymetal, Crowded House, Tom Grennan, The Lathums, and Indonesian vocal sensation Putri Ariani. With genres ranging from rock to EDM to neo-soul, it's a cultural mashup worth the pit stop.
Tickets are already moving fast. With more acts still to be announced, the Grand Prix weekend is shaping up to be Singapore's biggest party of the year.
Singapore's housing market lost more steam in April, with private home sales falling for the second consecutive month amid economic jitters and weak project launches in one of the world's priciest property markets.
Developers moved just 663 units, down from 729 in March, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) reported Thursday (15 May). That's still more than double the figure a year ago – but the month-on-month decline suggests buyers are growing cautious.
The slowdown comes despite the city-state's red-hot start to 2024. Now, high-end projects are struggling to move units, while a government land plot failed to attract a single bid, a rare miss. Global trade worries and a 2023 hike in stamp duties have taken a toll on foreign interest.
Locals, meanwhile, continue to avoid luxury launches, especially those lacking schools and amenities. With more luxury condos set to hit the market, analysts say demand could remain sluggish in the near term.
The government, facing mounting affordability concerns, is ramping up land supply – but that may not be enough to reignite momentum.
A Singapore maid who stabbed her employer's mother-in-law 26 times had her murder charge reduced to culpable homicide on appeal, after the court found she acted under provocation.
According to a report by the Straits Times, Zin Mar Nwe, who was just 17 at the time, feared being sent back to her home country in debt after the victim allegedly threatened to report her to the maid agency. The Court of Appeal ruled that a reasonable person in her shoes could have lost self-control.
The Myanmar national had worked for three different employers in five months and claimed she had been scolded and hurt during her stay.
Though prosecutors challenged the abuse claims, the court accepted the psychological impact of the repeated threats.
She now faces life imprisonment or up to 20 years, with sentencing arguments to follow.
Pakistan's reported use of Chinese J-10C fighter jets to shoot down Indian Rafales has sent shockwaves through global defence circles – and bolstered China's position as an emerging military powerhouse.
The deadly exchange, part of a broader escalation between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, marked the first known combat deployment of the J-10C and its PL-15 missiles. For Beijing, it was a rare and valuable 'combat lab,' offering insight into how its hardware performs against top-tier Western systems.
Military analysts say China is watching closely. While unverified, Pakistan's claims – if true – mean Chinese weapons outgunned French-designed jets India only recently acquired. That has serious implications for air power in Asia, particularly as tensions rise in the Taiwan Strait.
The incident rattled markets too. Dassault Aviation, which manufactures the Rafale, saw its stock slump amid doubts about its jet's resilience. Meanwhile, China's Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, which produces the J-10C, saw a spike in investor confidence.
Strategists warn the episode may tilt global weapons sales – and battlefield expectations. More than a border clash, this was a live-fire audition for China's arms industry. And Beijing's next customer might be watching.
Microsoft is laying off nearly 6,000 employees in its largest workforce reduction since 2023. The cuts, announced Tuesday (13 May), affect 3 per cent of the company's 228,000 workers.
The move is part of a broader effort to simplify Microsoft's organisational structure and refocus resources on AI and cloud computing. Roles across LinkedIn, Xbox, and global operations are impacted.
These are structural layoffs – not based on individual performance – intended to reduce bureaucracy and accelerate innovation. Around 2,000 of the affected jobs are located at Microsoft's Redmond, Washington headquarters.
Despite reporting strong earnings last quarter, executives emphasised the need for agility. CFO Amy Hood said Microsoft is 'reducing layers with fewer managers' to build high-performing teams.
Singapore's skyline just got photobombed by a global icon – and it's not your average tourist. In a high-octane video celebrating 70 years of cinematic chaos, Godzilla emerges from Marina Bay, towering over the city's landmarks in a dramatic salute to fans across Southeast Asia.
The 55-second clip, released by Japanese studio Toho, showcases Godzilla stomping past Gardens by the Bay and unleashing its signature roar – atomic breath optional. It's the monster's first cinematic visit to Singapore, part of a regional rollout that includes the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and Bali's serene rice terraces.
'Toho is clearly flexing its creative muscles,' said one local fan, referencing the franchise's evolution from post-WWII nuclear metaphor to pop-culture juggernaut. The company also launched its Southeast Asian hub, Toho Entertainment, in Singapore last year – hinting this may not be Godzilla's last visit.
This isn't Singapore's first kaiju cameo. In 2021, Ultraman battled a Godzilla-like creature at Gardens by the Bay in a tourism promo. And who could forget the Republic of Singapore Navy's cheeky 'Top Secret Ops Godzilla' spoof, which aired during the release of "Godzilla Minus One"?
Whether he's levelling cities or landmarks, Godzilla's Southeast Asian rampage proves one thing: the monster's reign is far from over – and Singapore's right in the middle of the action.
A fake call. A fake investigation. A near-loss of $100,000. But one Singapore woman was saved – thanks to vigilant banking and law enforcement.
The 64-year-old received a call from scammers posing as her bank and MAS officials. They told her she was under investigation for laundering money and had to transfer funds to prove her innocence.
She followed instructions – but DBS Bank's Anti-Scam team smelled trouble. Working with the Anti-Scam Centre, they froze the transaction just in time.
Scam losses in Singapore have soared, reaching S$1.1 billion (US$822) million in 2024. In response, banks are supporting police powers to freeze suspect accounts more swiftly.
Singapore is weighing caning as punishment for those behind major scam operations.
If you suspect a scam, you can call ScamShield Helpline at 1799 or visit the ScamShield website.
Singapore has a new automotive king – and it's electric. BYD has overtaken Toyota to become the top-selling car brand in the country so far in 2025.
With 3,002 cars sold in just four months, BYD captured a fifth of the total market, leapfrogging legacy brands and putting rivals like Tesla in the rearview.
Backed by sleek models and green incentives, BYD's meteoric rise reflects changing consumer behaviour in a market long dominated by internal combustion engines. Its success also underscores China's growing clout in the global EV race.
Even in a city where cars cost more than condos, BYD's competitively priced EVs are resonating. The brand's swift expansion into premium offerings like the Denza D9 MPV is also turning heads.
But will the lead last? Tesla's new launches and an evolving regulatory landscape may bring fresh competition.
Singapore's opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) is calling for a public Commission of Inquiry after images surfaced showing two ministers and the NTUC chief dining with Su Haijin, a convicted money launderer.
In a strongly worded statement, the SDP questioned why Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat, and NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng were pictured with Su, who was part of a $3 billion money laundering ring and allegedly tied to the Fujian gang. The three Singapore MPs are taking legal action against a Facebook user who falsely accused them of ties to Su.
The party raised four key issues: the purpose and timing of the dinners, whether COVID-19 rules were breached, guest vetting protocols, and the officials' capacity at the events. The SDP emphasised that silence in the wake of the controversy would undermine Singapore's reputation for incorruptibility.
Photos, originally posted by ex-Reform Party chair Charles Yeo, have since gone viral. All officials involved denied any improper relationship with Su and claimed they had no knowledge of his background at the time.
The SDP urged Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to directly address the matter, warning that transparency and public accountability are critical in the wake of recent high-profile corruption cases.
Singapore's major hospitals are urging the public to avoid emergency departments unless facing life-threatening conditions. Changi General Hospital (CGH), Sengkang General Hospital (SKH), and Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) report a surge in patients, causing unusually long wait times.
In social media updates, CGH and SKH advised that only those with serious emergencies should seek care at A&Es. Meanwhile, TTSH's website warns of delays in both consultations and admissions.
Those with coughs, sore throats, or other mild symptoms are urged to visit general practitioners or Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs) instead. These clinics can be located through www.phpc.gov.sg.
This move helps healthcare workers focus on critical cases and maintain emergency readiness.
Read on why you should skip the A&E for minor symptoms here.
Get ready to rock at full throttle. The 2025 Singapore Grand Prix just unveiled a stacked music lineup featuring Foo Fighters, CL and The Smashing Pumpkins.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Foo Fighters (@foofighters)
Running from 3-5 October, the star-studded event turns the Marina Bay Street Circuit into a high-octane music festival. Global icons like Alan Walker, Elton John and G-Dragon will share the spotlight with indie darlings and K-pop heavyweights.
This year's entertainment will span multiple stages – from the iconic Padang Stage to the more intimate Sunset and Esplanade venues – offering something for every music fan.
The lineup also includes Babymetal, Crowded House, Tom Grennan, The Lathums, and Indonesian vocal sensation Putri Ariani. With genres ranging from rock to EDM to neo-soul, it's a cultural mashup worth the pit stop.
Tickets are already moving fast. With more acts still to be announced, the Grand Prix weekend is shaping up to be Singapore's biggest party of the year.
Singapore's housing market lost more steam in April, with private home sales falling for the second consecutive month amid economic jitters and weak project launches in one of the world's priciest property markets.
Developers moved just 663 units, down from 729 in March, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) reported Thursday (15 May). That's still more than double the figure a year ago – but the month-on-month decline suggests buyers are growing cautious.
The slowdown comes despite the city-state's red-hot start to 2024. Now, high-end projects are struggling to move units, while a government land plot failed to attract a single bid, a rare miss. Global trade worries and a 2023 hike in stamp duties have taken a toll on foreign interest.
Locals, meanwhile, continue to avoid luxury launches, especially those lacking schools and amenities. With more luxury condos set to hit the market, analysts say demand could remain sluggish in the near term.
The government, facing mounting affordability concerns, is ramping up land supply – but that may not be enough to reignite momentum.
A Singapore maid who stabbed her employer's mother-in-law 26 times had her murder charge reduced to culpable homicide on appeal, after the court found she acted under provocation.
According to a report by the Straits Times, Zin Mar Nwe, who was just 17 at the time, feared being sent back to her home country in debt after the victim allegedly threatened to report her to the maid agency. The Court of Appeal ruled that a reasonable person in her shoes could have lost self-control.
The Myanmar national had worked for three different employers in five months and claimed she had been scolded and hurt during her stay.
Though prosecutors challenged the abuse claims, the court accepted the psychological impact of the repeated threats.
She now faces life imprisonment or up to 20 years, with sentencing arguments to follow.
Pakistan's reported use of Chinese J-10C fighter jets to shoot down Indian Rafales has sent shockwaves through global defence circles – and bolstered China's position as an emerging military powerhouse.
The deadly exchange, part of a broader escalation between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, marked the first known combat deployment of the J-10C and its PL-15 missiles. For Beijing, it was a rare and valuable 'combat lab,' offering insight into how its hardware performs against top-tier Western systems.
Military analysts say China is watching closely. While unverified, Pakistan's claims – if true – mean Chinese weapons outgunned French-designed jets India only recently acquired. That has serious implications for air power in Asia, particularly as tensions rise in the Taiwan Strait.
The incident rattled markets too. Dassault Aviation, which manufactures the Rafale, saw its stock slump amid doubts about its jet's resilience. Meanwhile, China's Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, which produces the J-10C, saw a spike in investor confidence.
Strategists warn the episode may tilt global weapons sales – and battlefield expectations. More than a border clash, this was a live-fire audition for China's arms industry. And Beijing's next customer might be watching.
Microsoft is laying off nearly 6,000 employees in its largest workforce reduction since 2023. The cuts, announced Tuesday (13 May), affect 3 per cent of the company's 228,000 workers.
The move is part of a broader effort to simplify Microsoft's organisational structure and refocus resources on AI and cloud computing. Roles across LinkedIn, Xbox, and global operations are impacted.
These are structural layoffs – not based on individual performance – intended to reduce bureaucracy and accelerate innovation. Around 2,000 of the affected jobs are located at Microsoft's Redmond, Washington headquarters.
Despite reporting strong earnings last quarter, executives emphasised the need for agility. CFO Amy Hood said Microsoft is 'reducing layers with fewer managers' to build high-performing teams.
Singapore's skyline just got photobombed by a global icon – and it's not your average tourist. In a high-octane video celebrating 70 years of cinematic chaos, Godzilla emerges from Marina Bay, towering over the city's landmarks in a dramatic salute to fans across Southeast Asia.
The 55-second clip, released by Japanese studio Toho, showcases Godzilla stomping past Gardens by the Bay and unleashing its signature roar – atomic breath optional. It's the monster's first cinematic visit to Singapore, part of a regional rollout that includes the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and Bali's serene rice terraces.
'Toho is clearly flexing its creative muscles,' said one local fan, referencing the franchise's evolution from post-WWII nuclear metaphor to pop-culture juggernaut. The company also launched its Southeast Asian hub, Toho Entertainment, in Singapore last year – hinting this may not be Godzilla's last visit.
This isn't Singapore's first kaiju cameo. In 2021, Ultraman battled a Godzilla-like creature at Gardens by the Bay in a tourism promo. And who could forget the Republic of Singapore Navy's cheeky 'Top Secret Ops Godzilla' spoof, which aired during the release of "Godzilla Minus One"?
Whether he's levelling cities or landmarks, Godzilla's Southeast Asian rampage proves one thing: the monster's reign is far from over – and Singapore's right in the middle of the action.
A fake call. A fake investigation. A near-loss of $100,000. But one Singapore woman was saved – thanks to vigilant banking and law enforcement.
The 64-year-old received a call from scammers posing as her bank and MAS officials. They told her she was under investigation for laundering money and had to transfer funds to prove her innocence.
She followed instructions – but DBS Bank's Anti-Scam team smelled trouble. Working with the Anti-Scam Centre, they froze the transaction just in time.
Scam losses in Singapore have soared, reaching S$1.1 billion (US$822) million in 2024. In response, banks are supporting police powers to freeze suspect accounts more swiftly.
Singapore is weighing caning as punishment for those behind major scam operations.
If you suspect a scam, you can call ScamShield Helpline at 1799 or visit the ScamShield website.
Singapore has a new automotive king – and it's electric. BYD has overtaken Toyota to become the top-selling car brand in the country so far in 2025.
With 3,002 cars sold in just four months, BYD captured a fifth of the total market, leapfrogging legacy brands and putting rivals like Tesla in the rearview.
Backed by sleek models and green incentives, BYD's meteoric rise reflects changing consumer behaviour in a market long dominated by internal combustion engines. Its success also underscores China's growing clout in the global EV race.
Even in a city where cars cost more than condos, BYD's competitively priced EVs are resonating. The brand's swift expansion into premium offerings like the Denza D9 MPV is also turning heads.
But will the lead last? Tesla's new launches and an evolving regulatory landscape may bring fresh competition.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Walz says Trump administration is ghosting states, leaving governments vulnerable
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks with Minnesota Reformer Editor in Chief Patrick Coolican in front of States Newsroom leaders and reporters Thursday, June 5, 2025 at the Royal Sonesta in downtown Minneapolis. (Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer) MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday said that communication between states and the federal government under the second Trump administration 'is nonexistent,' opening the door to catastrophe in the case of a natural disaster or other emergency. Walz, during an interview with Reformer editor Patrick Coolican at a States Newsroom conference in Minneapolis, said that the Trump administration is unprepared for the next disaster — like another global pandemic — and that leaves states particularly vulnerable. 'The flow of information has been disrupted between the states and the federal government, and we just can't get answers … No one is allowed to talk to us, and that's really problematic,' Walz said. The Minnesota governor said the silence from the feds differs from the first Trump administration. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Walz said then-Vice President Mike Pence would call him every few weeks to check in to see what he needed. He said he sensed Pence would call in 'under the radar, so he didn't draw anybody's attention.' 'There were a lot of great people inside the first Trump administration that, in spite of the president, were doing good work,' Walz said. Walz said one of his biggest fears is a cybersecurity attack. The Trump administration has cut millions of dollars for several cyber security initiatives and slashed jobs from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which helps protect the nation's critical infrastructure. Walz discussed the role of the states in opposing the Trump administration's agenda — particularly on immigration — and the Democratic Party's current malaise. Minnesota is increasingly reliant on immigrants, who are needed to fill jobs being vacated by an aging workforce. 'There's not a cow in Minnesota that's not being milked by an immigrant,' he said. Walz said Minnesota would not be commandeered into enforcing immigration law, which he said is a federal duty. Walz repeated a spiel he's given around the country, including at a recent Democratic Party event in South Carolina, which has traditionally been early on the presidential primary calendar, fueling speculation that he is considering a presidential run. He said he's not running, but merely using his megaphone to help fill a vacuum left by a Democratic Party in disarray. The governor urged Democrats to figure out how to become the party of the working class again and said Democrats need to 'fill all the lanes' in the media environment to reach voters. 'I still have come to the conclusion that Trump fills so much space that you've got to fill all these new spaces. Do I think if we would have gone on, you know, Joe Rogan, would we have won? I doubt that, but I also don't think it hurts,' Walz said. 'If your message is good, you want to get out there.' Walz backed the 2005-06 idea of former DNC Chair Howard Dean and his '50 State Project,' which sought to reach voters in areas not traditionally associated with Democrats. 'We're probably never going to win Idaho, but … you got to be out there for it,' Walz said. Walz said Democrats should rotate where they hold the early primary to reach more voters, which may not endear him to Democrats in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, the traditional early states that have long jealously guarded their first in the nation status. When asked which state should be the first to hold the primary, Walz deadpanned 'Minnesota.' Minnesota Reformer and the Nebraska Examiner are part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Minnesota Reformer maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor J. Patrick Coolican for questions: info@ SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
In axing mRNA contract, Trump delivers another blow to US biosecurity, former officials say
This is a KFF Health News story. The Trump administration's cancellation of $766 million in contracts to develop mRNA vaccines against potential pandemic flu viruses is the latest blow to national defense, former health security officials said. They warned that the U.S. could be at the mercy of other countries in the next pandemic. "The administration's actions are gutting our deterrence from biological threats," said Beth Cameron, a senior adviser to the Brown University Pandemic Center and a former director at the White House National Security Council. "Canceling this investment is a signal that we are changing our posture on pandemic preparedness," she added, "and that is not good for the American people." Flu pandemics killed up to 103 million people worldwide last century, researchers estimate. MORE: Bird flu is continuing to spread in animals across the US. Here's what you need to know In anticipation of the next big one, the U.S. government began bolstering the nation's pandemic flu defenses during the George W. Bush administration. These strategies were designed by the security council and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority at the Department of Health and Human Services, among other agencies. The plans rely on rolling out vaccines rapidly in a pandemic. Moving fast hinges on producing vaccines domestically, ensuring their safety and getting them into arms across the nation through the public health system. The Trump administration is undermining each of these steps as it guts health agencies, cuts research and health budgets and issues perplexing policy changes, health security experts said. Since President Donald Trump took office, at least half of the security council's staff have been laid off or left, and the future of BARDA is murky. The nation's top vaccine adviser, Peter Marks, resigned under pressure in March, citing "the unprecedented assault on scientific truth." Most recently, Trump's clawback of funds for mRNA vaccine development put Americans on shakier ground in the next pandemic. "When the need hits and we aren't ready, no other country will come to our rescue and we will suffer greatly," said Rick Bright, an immunologist and a former BARDA director. Countries that produced their own vaccines in the COVID-19 pandemic had first dibs on the shots. While the United States, home to Moderna and Pfizer, rolled out second doses of mRNA vaccines in 2021, hundreds of thousands of people in countries that didn't manufacture vaccines died waiting for them. The most pertinent pandemic threat today is the bird flu virus H5N1. Researchers around the world were alarmed when it began spreading among cattle in the U.S. last year. Cows are closer to humans biologically than birds, indicating that the virus had evolved to thrive in cells like our own. As hundreds of herds and dozens of people were infected in the U.S., the Biden administration funded Moderna to develop bird flu vaccines using mRNA technology. As part of the agreement, the U.S. government stipulated it could purchase doses in advance of a pandemic. That no longer stands. Researchers can make bird flu vaccines in other ways, but mRNA vaccines are developed much more quickly because they don't rely on finicky biological processes, such as growing elements of vaccines in chicken eggs or cells kept alive in laboratory tanks. Time matters because flu viruses mutate constantly, and vaccines work better when they match whatever variant is circulating. MORE: 2nd bird flu virus detected in western US. What does this mean for prevention? Developing vaccines within eggs or cells can take 10 months after the genetic sequence of a variant is known, Bright said. And relying on eggs presents an additional risk when it comes to bird flu because a pandemic could wipe out billions of chickens, crashing egg supplies. Decades-old methods that rely on inactivated flu viruses are riskier for researchers and time-consuming. Still the Trump administration invested $500 million into this approach, which was largely abandoned by the 1980s after it caused seizures in children. "This politicized regression is baffling," Bright said. A bird flu pandemic may begin quietly in the U.S. if the virus evolves to spread between people but no one is tested at first. Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's dashboard suggests that only 10 farmworkers have been tested for the bird flu since March. Because of their close contact with cattle and poultry, farmworkers are at highest risk of infection. As with many diseases, only a fraction of people with the bird flu become severely sick. So the first sign that the virus is widespread might be a surge in hospital cases. "We'd need to immediately make vaccines," said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. The U.S. government could scale up production of existing bird flu vaccines developed in eggs or cells. However, these vaccines target an older strain of H5N1 and their efficacy against the virus circulating now is unknown. In addition to the months it takes to develop an updated version within eggs or cells, Rasmussen questioned the ability of the government to rapidly test and license updated shots, with a quarter of HHS staff gone. If the Senate approves Trump's proposed budget, the agency faces about $32 billion in cuts. Further, the Trump administration's cuts to biomedical research and its push to slash grant money for overhead costs could undermine academic hospitals, rendering them unable to conduct large clinical trials. And its cuts to the CDC and to public health funds to states mean that fewer health officials will be available in an emergency. "You can't just turn this all back on," Rasmussen said. "The longer it takes to respond, the more people die." Researchers suggest other countries would produce bird flu vaccines first. "The U.S. may be on the receiving end like India was, where everyone -- rich people, too -- got vaccines late," said Achal Prabhala, a public health researcher in India at medicines access group AccessIBSA. He sits on the board of a World Health Organization initiative to improve access to mRNA vaccines in the next pandemic. A member of the initiative, the company Sinergium Biotech in Argentina, is testing an mRNA vaccine against the bird flu. If it works, Sinergium will share the intellectual property behind the vaccine with about a dozen other groups in the program from middle-income countries so they can produce it. MORE: 12 months and 70 cases since the first human bird flu infection: Are we any safer? The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, an international partnership headquartered in Norway, is providing funds to research groups developing rapid-response vaccine technology, including mRNA, in South Korea, Singapore and France. And CEPI committed up to $20 million to efforts to prepare for a bird flu pandemic. This year, the Indian government issued a call for grant applications to develop mRNA vaccines for the bird flu, warning it "poses a grave public health risk." Pharmaceutical companies are investing in mRNA vaccines for the bird flu as well. However, Prabhala says private capital isn't sufficient to bring early-stage vaccines through clinical trials and large-scale manufacturing. That's because there's no market for bird flu vaccines until a pandemic hits. Limited supplies means the United States would have to wait in line for mRNA vaccines made abroad. States and cities may compete against one another for deals with outside governments and companies, like they did for medical equipment at the peak of the covid pandemic. "I fear we will once again see the kind of hunger games we saw in 2020," Cameron said. In an email response to queries, HHS communications director Andrew Nixon said, "We concluded that continued investment in Moderna's H5N1 mRNA vaccine was not scientifically or ethically justifiable." He added, "The decision reflects broader concerns about the use of mRNA platforms -- particularly in light of mounting evidence of adverse events associated with COVID-19 mRNA vaccines." Nixon did not back up the claim by citing analyses published in scientific journals. In dozens of published studies, researchers have found that mRNA vaccines against COVID are safe. For example, a placebo-controlled trial of more than 30,000 people in the U.S. found that adverse effects of Moderna's vaccine were rare and transient, whereas 30 participants in the placebo group suffered severe cases of COVID and one died. More recently, a study revealed that three of nearly 20,000 people who got Moderna's vaccines and booster had significant adverse effects related to the vaccine, which resolved within a few months. COVID, on the other hand, killed four people during the course of the study. As for concerns about the heart issue, myocarditis, a study of 2.5 million people who got at least one dose of Pfizer's mRNA vaccine revealed about two cases per 100,000 people. COVID causes 10 to 105 myocarditis cases per 100,000. Nonetheless, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who founded an anti-vaccine organization, has falsely called COVID shots "the deadliest vaccine ever made." And without providing evidence, he said the 1918 flu pandemic "came from vaccine research." Politicized mistrust in vaccines has grown. Far more Republicans said they trust Kennedy to provide reliable information on vaccines than their local health department or the CDC in a recent KFF poll: 73% versus about half. Should the bird flu become a pandemic in the next few years, Rasmussen said, "we will be screwed on multiple levels." In axing mRNA contract, Trump delivers another blow to US biosecurity, former officials say originally appeared on
2 hours ago
In axing mRNA contract, Trump delivers another blow to US biosecurity, former officials say
This is a KFF Health News story. The Trump administration's cancellation of $766 million in contracts to develop mRNA vaccines against potential pandemic flu viruses is the latest blow to national defense, former health security officials said. They warned that the U.S. could be at the mercy of other countries in the next pandemic. "The administration's actions are gutting our deterrence from biological threats," said Beth Cameron, a senior adviser to the Brown University Pandemic Center and a former director at the White House National Security Council. "Canceling this investment is a signal that we are changing our posture on pandemic preparedness," she added, "and that is not good for the American people." Flu pandemics killed up to 103 million people worldwide last century, researchers estimate. In anticipation of the next big one, the U.S. government began bolstering the nation's pandemic flu defenses during the George W. Bush administration. These strategies were designed by the security council and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority at the Department of Health and Human Services, among other agencies. The plans rely on rolling out vaccines rapidly in a pandemic. Moving fast hinges on producing vaccines domestically, ensuring their safety and getting them into arms across the nation through the public health system. The Trump administration is undermining each of these steps as it guts health agencies, cuts research and health budgets and issues perplexing policy changes, health security experts said. Since President Donald Trump took office, at least half of the security council's staff have been laid off or left, and the future of BARDA is murky. The nation's top vaccine adviser, Peter Marks, resigned under pressure in March, citing "the unprecedented assault on scientific truth." Most recently, Trump's clawback of funds for mRNA vaccine development put Americans on shakier ground in the next pandemic. "When the need hits and we aren't ready, no other country will come to our rescue and we will suffer greatly," said Rick Bright, an immunologist and a former BARDA director. Countries that produced their own vaccines in the COVID-19 pandemic had first dibs on the shots. While the United States, home to Moderna and Pfizer, rolled out second doses of mRNA vaccines in 2021, hundreds of thousands of people in countries that didn't manufacture vaccines died waiting for them. The most pertinent pandemic threat today is the bird flu virus H5N1. Researchers around the world were alarmed when it began spreading among cattle in the U.S. last year. Cows are closer to humans biologically than birds, indicating that the virus had evolved to thrive in cells like our own. As hundreds of herds and dozens of people were infected in the U.S., the Biden administration funded Moderna to develop bird flu vaccines using mRNA technology. As part of the agreement, the U.S. government stipulated it could purchase doses in advance of a pandemic. That no longer stands. Researchers can make bird flu vaccines in other ways, but mRNA vaccines are developed much more quickly because they don't rely on finicky biological processes, such as growing elements of vaccines in chicken eggs or cells kept alive in laboratory tanks. Time matters because flu viruses mutate constantly, and vaccines work better when they match whatever variant is circulating. Developing vaccines within eggs or cells can take 10 months after the genetic sequence of a variant is known, Bright said. And relying on eggs presents an additional risk when it comes to bird flu because a pandemic could wipe out billions of chickens, crashing egg supplies. Decades-old methods that rely on inactivated flu viruses are riskier for researchers and time-consuming. Still the Trump administration invested $500 million into this approach, which was largely abandoned by the 1980s after it caused seizures in children. "This politicized regression is baffling," Bright said. A bird flu pandemic may begin quietly in the U.S. if the virus evolves to spread between people but no one is tested at first. Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's dashboard suggests that only 10 farmworkers have been tested for the bird flu since March. Because of their close contact with cattle and poultry, farmworkers are at highest risk of infection. As with many diseases, only a fraction of people with the bird flu become severely sick. So the first sign that the virus is widespread might be a surge in hospital cases. "We'd need to immediately make vaccines," said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. The U.S. government could scale up production of existing bird flu vaccines developed in eggs or cells. However, these vaccines target an older strain of H5N1 and their efficacy against the virus circulating now is unknown. In addition to the months it takes to develop an updated version within eggs or cells, Rasmussen questioned the ability of the government to rapidly test and license updated shots, with a quarter of HHS staff gone. If the Senate approves Trump's proposed budget, the agency faces about $32 billion in cuts. Further, the Trump administration's cuts to biomedical research and its push to slash grant money for overhead costs could undermine academic hospitals, rendering them unable to conduct large clinical trials. And its cuts to the CDC and to public health funds to states mean that fewer health officials will be available in an emergency. "You can't just turn this all back on," Rasmussen said. "The longer it takes to respond, the more people die." Researchers suggest other countries would produce bird flu vaccines first. "The U.S. may be on the receiving end like India was, where everyone -- rich people, too -- got vaccines late," said Achal Prabhala, a public health researcher in India at medicines access group AccessIBSA. He sits on the board of a World Health Organization initiative to improve access to mRNA vaccines in the next pandemic. A member of the initiative, the company Sinergium Biotech in Argentina, is testing an mRNA vaccine against the bird flu. If it works, Sinergium will share the intellectual property behind the vaccine with about a dozen other groups in the program from middle-income countries so they can produce it. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, an international partnership headquartered in Norway, is providing funds to research groups developing rapid-response vaccine technology, including mRNA, in South Korea, Singapore and France. And CEPI committed up to $20 million to efforts to prepare for a bird flu pandemic. This year, the Indian government issued a call for grant applications to develop mRNA vaccines for the bird flu, warning it "poses a grave public health risk." Pharmaceutical companies are investing in mRNA vaccines for the bird flu as well. However, Prabhala says private capital isn't sufficient to bring early-stage vaccines through clinical trials and large-scale manufacturing. That's because there's no market for bird flu vaccines until a pandemic hits. Limited supplies means the United States would have to wait in line for mRNA vaccines made abroad. States and cities may compete against one another for deals with outside governments and companies, like they did for medical equipment at the peak of the covid pandemic. "I fear we will once again see the kind of hunger games we saw in 2020," Cameron said. In an email response to queries, HHS communications director Andrew Nixon said, "We concluded that continued investment in Moderna's H5N1 mRNA vaccine was not scientifically or ethically justifiable." He added, "The decision reflects broader concerns about the use of mRNA platforms -- particularly in light of mounting evidence of adverse events associated with COVID-19 mRNA vaccines." Nixon did not back up the claim by citing analyses published in scientific journals. In dozens of published studies, researchers have found that mRNA vaccines against COVID are safe. For example, a placebo-controlled trial of more than 30,000 people in the U.S. found that adverse effects of Moderna's vaccine were rare and transient, whereas 30 participants in the placebo group suffered severe cases of COVID and one died. More recently, a study revealed that three of nearly 20,000 people who got Moderna's vaccines and booster had significant adverse effects related to the vaccine, which resolved within a few months. COVID, on the other hand, killed four people during the course of the study. As for concerns about the heart issue, myocarditis, a study of 2.5 million people who got at least one dose of Pfizer's mRNA vaccine revealed about two cases per 100,000 people. COVID causes 10 to 105 myocarditis cases per 100,000. Nonetheless, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who founded an anti-vaccine organization, has falsely called COVID shots"the deadliest vaccine ever made." And without providing evidence, he said the 1918 flu pandemic "came from vaccine research." Politicized mistrust in vaccines has grown. Far more Republicans said they trust Kennedy to provide reliable information on vaccines than their local health department or the CDC in a recent KFF poll: 73% versus about half. Should the bird flu become a pandemic in the next few years, Rasmussen said, "we will be screwed on multiple levels."
