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Review
. 2023 Mar 9:14:1125305.
doi: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1125305. eCollection 2023.

An update on SARS-CoV-2 immunization and future directions

Affiliations
Review

An update on SARS-CoV-2 immunization and future directions

Rashmi Rana et al. Front Pharmacol. .

Abstract

Millions of people have died as a result of SARS-CoV-2, which was first discovered in China and has since spread globally. Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection may show a range of symptoms, including fever, coughing, and shortness of breath, or they may show no symptoms at all. To treat COVID-19 symptoms and avoid serious infections, many medications and vaccinations have been employed. However, to entirely eradicate COVID-19 from the world, next-generation vaccine research is required because of the devastating consequences it is having for humanity and every nation's economy. Scientists are working hard to eradicate this dangerous virus across the world. SARS-CoV-2 has also undergone significant mutation, leading to distinct viral types such as the alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and omicron variants. This has sparked discussion about the effectiveness of current vaccines for the newly formed variants. A proper comparison of these vaccinations is required to compare their efficacy as the number of people immunized against SARS-CoV-2 globally increases. Population-level statistics evaluating the capacity of these vaccines to reduce infection are therefore being developed. In this paper, we analyze the many vaccines on the market in terms of their production process, price, dosage needed, and efficacy. This article also discusses the challenges of achieving herd immunity, the likelihood of reinfection, and the importance of convalescent plasma therapy in reducing infection.

Keywords: COVID-19; Moderna; Pfizer; SARS-CoV-2; convalescent plasma therapy; herd immunity; reinfection; vaccine efficacy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
SARS-CoV-2 virus. A functioning polybasic cleavage site at the S1–S2 junction of the spike protein and the receptor-binding domain (RBD) in the S1 subunit are two important genetic traits of SARS-CoV-2.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Different platforms for vaccine production and their modes of action. (A) mRNA vaccine, (B) adenoviral vector vaccine, (C) whole inactivated virus, and (D) protein subunit vaccine.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Comprehensive overview of the coronavirus, including relevant risk factors and drugs used for its treatment.

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