COVID-19 vaccines

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The COVID-19 pandemic is the most important public health challenge facing humankind in the 3rd millennium to date. It also has myriad of economic, political and social implications. In addition to behavioral measures, vaccines are the solution to limit the number of cases of infections. The scientific community has mobilized exemplary, and with the financial and regulatory support of states, in less than a year since the sequencing of the SARS-CoV-2 genome, dozens of vaccines have reached advanced stages of clinical testing, some of which being already authorized for use in vaccination campaigns unprecedented in history. This paper reviews the anti-COVID vaccines currently in use, along with some having the potential to be authorized soon. The mechanisms of immunogenic action of vaccines and the platforms that enabled their development are discussed. Results from clinical trials investigating the efficacy and safety of vaccines are presented. The success of stopping the pandemic through vaccination currently depends on several factors. The availability of vaccines, in sufficient quantities to vaccinate billions of people, is a challenge. Some of the vaccines have restrictive storage conditions, making it difficult to use them in less developed parts of the world. People’s acceptance of immunization is also a decisive factor. The hesitant attitude towards vaccination is not a new phenomenon, and it seems that important refusal rates are also being reached towards COVID‑19 vaccination. Nondiscriminatory attitudes, nonmandatory vaccination and education campaigns are considered to be optimal strategies for increasing the acceptance rate of vaccination. In order to achieve herd immunity, it’s important that high percentages of the population be vaccinated. How high this level should be is unknown yet. Also, there are many questions that we have not yet answered. The emergence of viral variants, on which vaccines are less effective, is one of the most important impediments that have arisen against successful curbing the pandemic.