In late August 2022, readers asked us if a rumor was true that said COVID-19 vaccine maker Moderna was a sponsor for the 2022 U.S. Open tennis tournament. The answer is yes.
'Proud To Be a Partner'
According to the official U.S. Open website, Moderna was listed as a "sponsor" in the website address and a "partner" in the text of the page:
Moderna is proud to be a partner of the US Open. We are working to deliver on the promise of mRNA science to create a new generation of transformative medicines for patients.
The Moderna sponsor logo appeared in the background of tennis matches in several pictures captured at the U.S. Open. On the Getty Images website, one photo shows Serena Williams in front of the logo and another picture displays a wide view of the large arena. The tournament takes place in New York City.
Novak Djokovic
Tennisnet.com reported that the partnership between Moderna and the U.S. Open might exhibit a "lack of tact" and "may not have a calming effect." The reason why: Tennis star Novak Djokovic wasn't able to participate in the Australian Open earlier in the year "after a protracted legal saga ended with his deportation from that country because he isn’t vaccinated against COVID-19," The Associated Press published.
Djokovic also missed other major tournaments for the same reason and previously said he has no plans to get vaccinated. The Associated Press reported that he previously came down with COVID-19 two times.
COVID-19 Vaccines Are 'Safe and Effective'
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have advised that the vaccines are "safe and effective." The CDC also published that "hundreds of millions of people have safely received a COVID-19 vaccine":
More than 608 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in the United States from December 14, 2020, through August 24, 2022. To view the current total number of COVID-19 vaccinations that have been administered in the United States, please visit the CDC COVID Data Tracker.
COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated in tens of thousands of participants in clinical trials. The vaccines met the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization (EUA). Learn more about EUAs in this video.
The Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen and Novavax COVID-19 vaccines will continue to undergo the most intensive safety monitoring in US history. This monitoring includes using both established and new safety monitoring systems to make sure that COVID-19 vaccines are safe.
In sum, yes, it's true that the pharmaceutical company Moderna, a manufacturer of COVID-19 vaccines, was a sponsor of the 2022 U.S. Open.