COVID-19 vaccines

Abstract

COVID-19 is a pandemic of unprecedented proportions in recent human history. Less than 18 months since the onset of the pandemic, there are close to two hundred million confirmed cases and four million deaths worldwide. There have also been massive efforts geared towards finding safe and effective vaccines. By July 2021 there were 184 COVID-19 vaccine candidates in pre-clinical development, 105 in clinical development, and 18 vaccines approved for emergency use by at least one regulatory authority. These vaccines include whole virus live attenuated or inactivated, protein-based, viral vector, and nucleic acid vaccines. By mid-2021 three billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered around the world, mostly in high-income countries. COVID-19 vaccination provides hope for an end to the pandemic, if and only if there would be equal access and optimal uptake in all countries around the world.

A systematic review of cases of CNS demyelination following COVID-19 vaccination

“…As of July 2021, there are 18 approved COVID-19 vaccines in use around the world, 184 COVID-19 vaccine candidates in pre-clinical development, and 105 in clinical development ( Ndwandwe and Wiysonge, 2021 ). Although initial data on efficacy and safety were encouraging, several concerns have been raised regarding its immediate, intermediate, and long-term sequelae.…”

Polymersomes as Stable Nanocarriers for a Highly Immunogenic and Durable SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Subunit Vaccine

“…By July 2021, there were 18 vaccines approved for emergency use by at least one regulatory authority. 11 Nevertheless, some of the leading vaccine candidates do possess significant limitations. Adenoviral vectors could trigger antivector responses that may reduce the efficacy of subsequent administrations.…”

Should the world collaborate imminently to develop neglected live‐attenuated vaccines for COVID‐19?

“…1,4 Their stringent requirements for storage and high prices also impede their global application. 4 In genomic sequences, SARS-CoV-2 is phylogenetically close to, but also distinct from, SARS-CoV-1, the virus causing the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003. 6 They share the same receptor and cause similar diseases, which suggests that SARS-CoV-2 is flexible enough to change its genomes.…”