“Before COVID-19, the record for the fastest time to bring a new vaccine to market was four years. That changed in 2020. On Jan. 10, a team of researchers published the genome of the novel coronavirus. Only three days later, scientists at Moderna and the NIH had finalized a new messenger RNA vaccine based on that genetic data. By March it was in trials, and by December it was approved for emergency use. New vaccines from Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and others also moved at a record-breaking pace, far exceeding predictions. They’re critical to ending the pandemic—and give new hope for curing other diseases.” FastCo: 21 Reasons for Hope in 2021.