COVID‐19 vaccines and their underbelly: Are we going the right way?

Abstract

BackgroundHistorically, a critical aetiological agent of health concern stays till eternity after its discovery, so shall it be with the COVID‐19 outbreak. It has transformed human life to a ‘new normal’ with huge tolls on the social, psychological, intellectual and financial spheres.AimThis perspective aimed to collate numerous reported COVID‐19 vaccine‐associated adverse events and the predisposing factors. It focussed on the efficacy of mix‐n‐match (cocktail) vaccines to effectively counter COVID‐19 infection to facilitate future research and possible interventions.Material and MethodsDatabases like Scopus, Pubmed and the Web‐of‐science were searched for published literature on ‘adverse events associated with COVID‐19 vaccine’. The reports and updates from health agencies like the WHO and CDC were also considered for the purpose. The details with respect to the adverse events associated with COVID‐19 vaccination and the predisposing factors were compiled to obtain insights and suggest possible future directions in vaccine research.ResultsIndia stood strong to manage its health resources in time and turned into a dominant global vaccine supplier at a time when healthcare infrastructure of many countries was still significantly challenged. Developing indigenous vaccines and the vaccination drive in India were its major achievements during the second and the subsequent COVID‐19 waves. The fully indigenous Covaxin vaccine, primarily as an emergency intervention, was successfully rapidly launched. Similar such vaccines for emergency use were developed elsewhere as well. However, all of these reached the marketplace with a ‘emergency use only’ tag, without formal clinical trials and other associated formalities to validate and verify them as these would require much longer incubation time before they are available for human use.DiscussionMany adverse events associated with either the first or the second/booster vaccination doses were reported. Evidently, these associated adverse events were considered as ‘usually rare’ or were often underreported. Without the additional financial or ethical burden on the vaccine companies, fortunately, the Phase IV (human) clinical trials of their manufactured vaccines are occurring by default as the human population receives these under the tag ‘emergency use’. Thus, focused and collaborative strategies to unveil the molecular mechanisms in vaccine‐related adverse events in a time‐bound manner are suggested.ConclusionReliable data particularly on the safety of children is lacking as majority of the current over‐the‐counter COVID‐19 vaccines were for emergency use. Many of these were still in their Phase III and Phase IV trials. The need for a mutant‐proof, next‐gen COVID‐19 vaccine in the face of vaccine‐associated adverse events is opined.

Analyzing the emerging patterns of SARS‐CoV‐2 Omicron subvariants for the development of next‐gen vaccine: An observational study

“…It also provides leads to investigate potential next‐gen vaccines that effectively combats the continuously emerging Omicron subvariants. 44 Considering the potential limitations of the study is important, like the brevity and completeness of the data from the GISAID database that may not represent global population, and the limited timeframe of the analysis that may lack capturing the full extent of the emergence and spread of variants. The recommendations for potential future directions for effectively strategize for a next‐gen vaccine are as follows: Continual monitoring and sequencing of variants : New variants of concern could lead to the emergence of fresh COVID‐19 pandemic wave.…”

“…This work comprehensively analyses the prevalence and impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants and highlights the importance of effective statistical analyses in tracking emergence and spread. It also provides leads to investigate potential next-gen vaccines that effectively combats the continuously emerging Omicron subvariants 44. Considering the potential limitations of the study is important, like the brevity and completeness of the data from the GISAID database that may not represent global population, and the limited timeframe of the analysis that may lack capturing the full extent of the emergence and spread of variants.…”

SARS-CoV-2 Variants BA.2.86 and EG.5.1 Alongside Scrub Typhus and Nipah in India During the Ongoing Cricket World Cup 2023: Threat Perceptions and Countermeasures

“…Abiding by COVID-appropriate behaviour near the venue/stadia and elsewhere is recommended as the available vaccines seem to be low on efficiency against the emerging subvariants [8].…”

Immunization against Medically Important Human Coronaviruses of Public Health Concern

“…Thus, the effectiveness of already available vaccines produced by using the S protein of former variants of the virus has been debatable. The emerging variants of SAR-CoV-2 have highlighted the significance of doses of booster vaccines to foster defensive immunity in vaccinated people [ 7 , 12 , 13 ]. Therefore, the boosted and vaccinated people have adequate titers of neutralizing antibodies, which are essential for enduring immunity against not only Omicron but also other variants.…”