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Review
. 2021 Oct;21(10):626-636.
doi: 10.1038/s41577-021-00592-1. Epub 2021 Aug 9.

Progress of the COVID-19 vaccine effort: viruses, vaccines and variants versus efficacy, effectiveness and escape

John S Tregoning  1 , Katie E Flight  2 , Sophie L Higham  2 , Ziyin Wang  2 , Benjamin F Pierce  2
Affiliations
Review

Progress of the COVID-19 vaccine effort: viruses, vaccines and variants versus efficacy, effectiveness and escape

John S Tregoning et al. Nat Rev Immunol. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Where 2020 saw the development and testing of vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) at an unprecedented pace, the first half of 2021 has seen vaccine rollout in many countries. In this Progress article, we provide a snapshot of ongoing vaccine efficacy studies, as well as real-world data on vaccine effectiveness and the impact of virus variants of concern. Where they have been deployed in a high proportion of the adult population, the currently approved vaccines have been extremely effective in preventing COVID-19, particularly severe disease. Nonetheless, there are still significant challenges in ensuring equitable vaccine access around the globe and lessons that can be learned for controlling this pandemic and for the next pandemic.

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Conflict of interest statement

B.F.P. is funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care using UK Aid funding, managed by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (grant number EP/R013764/1). The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Factors influencing vaccine effectiveness.
Multiple factors can increase or decrease vaccine effectiveness (VE) at both the individual level and the population level.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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