Here is my summary of the politics and history of the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines, looking at Pfizer and Moderna in the US.
(I have never voted for Trump, but I give credit where it is due.)
The virus was noticed in the US early in 2020.
When the lethality of that virus had become obvious in the spring of 2020, President Trump assembled a group of experts to suggest solutions.
My understanding is that they replied that a vaccine was required, but that vaccines take a long time to develop for a new pathogen.
Trump did not accept that estimate of a long time, and demanded a crash program.
"Operation Warp Speed", a joint operation of DHHS, DOD, and the private sector (although Pfizer proceeded without Federal funding) began in May, 2020 and was an unprecedented success in rapid development.
(The first measles vaccine took about 9 years.)
The initial budget was $10 billion, but it ended up at about $18 billion.
In June, 2020, the FDA announced that a vaccine would have to be at least 50% effective to be certified.
Pfizer and Moderna obtained purchase orders ahead of authorization to fund production.
Pfizer/BioN Tech and Moderna received initial "emergency" authorization for their vaccines in December, 2020.
Trump was pissed off, since this was a month after the presidential election of November, 2020.
With manufacturing and distribution logistics problems, the vaccine was rationed and I (at the age of 71, but otherwise healthy) had to wait until February, 2021 for my first shot.
Full approval of the Pfizer vaccines (for adults) followed in August, 2021, after a "priority review" by the FDA.
For that approval, the FDA noted 91% effectiveness in "preventing Covid disease", and the need to follow the risk in certain age groups for myocarditis and pericarditis.
Full approval for Moderna (for adults) followed thereafter in January, 2022.
For the newer and future variants, evolutionary biologists use "evolutionary strategy" as a metaphor for pathogen evolution.
If a pathogen mutates to be more virulent (contagious) but less lethal, it will spread more readily, not kill off its hosts, and lead in the germ derby over the previous variants: winning by natural selection.