Recent SARS-CoV-2 Outlook and Implications in a COVID-19 Vaccination Era

Abstract

While repurposed drugs came in handy earlier in the wake of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, vaccination has been considered a more sustainable approach. The recent spikes have been linked to “double,” “triple,” and even multi-mutant variants, thus renewing calls for deeper structural and functional insights of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as a lead to rationale design of therapeutics, vaccines, and point-of-care diagnostics. There is a repertoire of findings from the earliest SARS-CoV-2 molecular mimicry to evade host immunity cum host immune responses to the role of the viral glycocalyx in modulating the susceptibility and severity of infection through attraction and repulsive interactions. Recently, molecular studies of some viral components that aid infection in the face of vaccination seem unending. In addition, the wave of infections and the attendant case fatality ratios have necessitated the need for emergency use authorizations for COVID-19 vaccines and in vitro diagnostics. This review provides key updates of SARS-CoV-2, current antigenic and formulation strategies, with emergency use authorizations considerations for future vaccine candidates and diagnostics. We also premise that despite the difficulty in modeling and analyzing glycans, understanding and exploiting their roles in the SARS-CoV-2 architecture is fundamental to glycan-based COVID-19 vaccines devoid of inconsistent clinical outcomes.

The Value of Ursodeoxycholic Acid and Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the Treatment of Severe COVID-19

“…According to the WHO, as of September 2023, global SARS-CoV-2 infections have surpassed 770 million, with a death toll of approximately 6.95 million, imposing an immense burden on the global healthcare system. COVID-19 vaccines, novel antivirals, and plasma exchange have demonstrated efficacy in improving the prognosis of patients with COVID-19 to a certain extent [1][2][3]. Nevertheless, the droplet transmission of SARS-CoV-2, coupled with its rapid mutation rate, makes the treatment and control of novel coronavirus pneumonia more difficult [4].…”