1. We had MERS and SARS coronaviruses years prior to the related events. mRNA vaccines were developed during the interim period.
2. The specific mRNA vaccines produced to combat COVID-19 produce spike proteins in human cells. Coronaviruses had never had spike proteins before COVID-19.
Moderna and Pfizer are not vaccine formulas. They are companies which produce vaccines.
Apparently one of the main advantages of the mRNA class of vaccines is that they stand ready to be rapidly tweaked using RNA codes from emerging viruses. That’s why the current mRNA vaccines were fully developed within a couple of weeks after China finally shared COVID-19’s genetic code. It’s also why they stand ready to defeat future epidemics as rapidly as our snail-like federal bureaucracy can move.