COVID-19 Vaccination: The Mainspring of Challenges and the Seed of Remonstrance

Abstract

As of March 2020, the time when the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) became a pandemic, our existence has been threatened and the lives of millions have been claimed. With this ongoing global issue, vaccines are considered of paramount importance in curtailing the outbreak and probably a prime gamble to bring us back to 'ordinary life'. To date, more than 200 vaccine candidates have been produced, many of which were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use, with the research and discovery phase of their production process passed over. Capering such a chief practice in COVID-19 vaccine development, and manufacturing vaccines at an unprecedented speed brought many challenges into play and raised COVID-19 vaccine remonstrance. In this review, we highlight relevant challenges to global COVID-19 vaccine development, dissemination, and deployment, particularly at the level of large-scale production and distribution. We also delineate public perception on COVID-19 vaccination and outline the main facets affecting people's willingness to get vaccinated.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; challenges; distribution; production; public perception; remonstrance; safety; vaccination.

Figure 1

Challenges in COVID-19 Vaccination. (a) Virus-specific antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) disease. (b) Impact of viral genetic recombination, high mutation rates, and emerging viral variants on vaccine effectiveness. (c) Duration of vaccine-acquired immunity. (d) Utilization/availability of suitable animal models to conduct vaccine safety and efficacy studies. (e) Differences in reactogenicity between age groups. (f) Running coordinated and valid vaccine clinical trials. (g) Facilitated and synchronized regulatory licensing processes. (h) Continuous research and development (R&D) incentives. (i) Public vaccine accessibility. (j) Deciding on priority target populations for vaccination. (k) Obtaining vaccine marketing authorization. The figure was created with BioRender.com.

Figure 2

The Monads of COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy. (a) Apprehension due to presumed health risks and inaccurate knowledge regarding the vaccine’s side effects. (b) Improper understanding of the importance and effectiveness of the vaccine. (c) Lack of trust in policy makers. (d) Sociodemographic factors attributing to variations in vaccine acceptance rates including (i) country’s income level, (ii) gender differences, and (iii) education level and employment status. (e) Inaccurate and incomplete information about vaccines provided to the public. (f) Dosing schedule and the number of administered doses. The figure was created with BioRender.com.