COVID-19 vaccinations: The unknowns, challenges, and hopes

Abstract

The entire world has been suffering from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic since March 11, 2020. More than a year later, the COVID-19 vaccination brought hope to control this viral pandemic. Here, we review the unknowns of the COVID-19 vaccination, such as its longevity, asymptomatic spread, long-term side effects, and its efficacy on immunocompromised patients. In addition, we discuss challenges associated with the COVID-19 vaccination, such as the global access and distribution of vaccine doses, adherence to hygiene guidelines after vaccination, the emergence of novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants, and vaccine resistance. Despite all these challenges and the fact that the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is still unclear, vaccines have brought great hope for the world, with several reports indicating a significant decline in the risk of COVID19-related infection and hospitalizations.

Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19 vaccination; SARS-CoV-2; global assessment; global challenges; herd immunity.

Figure 1

The COVID‐19 vaccine inequity as of November 2021. Only 7% of the African population have received full vaccination, while developed countries (e.g., the European Union with 67% of the population fully vaccinated), with high vaccine uptake, were already recommending booster doses. Based on data by ref. This inequity strongly advocates better support of vaccine aid in low‐income countries and emphasizes that initial vaccinations over booster strategies must be prioritized

Figure 2

An example of dynamics of serum neutralizing IgG anti‐S1‐RBD antibodies levels induced by administration of BNT162b2 vaccine in 36‐years old male with no immune deficiency. Note the decreasing levels over the course of 8 months after a second dose and a significant rise (above the upper limit of detection in the assay) after a third (booster) dose