[ChemSpider]

I agree, but I guess the challenge here is who are the 3 scientists to credit? Katalin Karikó is certainly one of them, but who are the other two? Weissman? Ugur Sahin? Özlem Türeci? Ingmar Hoerr? Noubar Afeyan? And then there is the weirdo guy that calls himself "mrna vaccine inventor"?

I guess the committee needs another 1-2 years time to decide on that, with the benefit of hindsight.

[benrapscallion]

If you look at the past awards, the Nobel committee prefers awarding those who published the earliest, fundamental results. Even if it was published in some obscure non-English language journal (see the artemisinin prize, for example).

[OskarS]

They've given it to organizations before (Doctors Without Borders won in 1999). Give it to Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford University then. Or "front line COVID-workers" or something. Exactly who gets it is not the main point, the main point is rewarding this incredible achievement in medicine (both the science of it, but also the work in testing, manufacturing and delivering it to patients).

[evanb]

MSF won the peace prize, not a science prize. Science prizes have not gone to organizations; if there were ever an opportunity to break that tradition it was with the discovery of the Higgs (the 2013 prize) and they didn't.

[ginko]

>Doctors Without Borders won in 1999

That was the Nobel Peace Prize. I'm not sure if the same applies to the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

[ChemSpider]

> They've given it to organizations before

No, never (You are confusing it with the Peace Nobel)

[icegreentea2]

The Nobel Prize typically rewards basic research, not applied - look up who got the prize with respect polio vaccines if you're curious.

[ChemSpider]

Good point. In this case Katalin Karikó and Weismann are the frontrunners.

[Arete314159]

I've really been holding out hope for K. Karikó. She put up with such monumental struggles. Obviously the MRNA Covid vaccine is a huge "prize" and vindication for her, but I'd love to see even more. She deserves it.