Review
Immunology
Lukman Nul Hakim Md Khairi, Mathumalar Loganathan Fahrni, Antonio Ivan Lazzarino
Summary: COVID-19 vaccines are the most effective medical countermeasures to mitigate and stop the COVID-19 pandemic. However, inequitable access to vaccines, especially in low- and middle-income countries, still poses risks. Vaccine nationalism led to high-income countries directly negotiating large vaccine orders, leaving resource-limited countries struggling for access. The COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) initiative aims to promote equitable distribution of vaccines.
Article
Business, Finance
Kam Fong Chan, Zhuo Chen, Yuanji Wen, Tong Xu
Summary: Global stock markets show positive reactions when human clinical trials on COVID-19 vaccines commence, especially for leading candidates and those entering phase III trials, as well as those developed by the U.S. and China.
FINANCE RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Rabai Bouderhem
Summary: This paper addresses the legal aspects and consequences of COVID-19 on vaccine manufacturing and fair access. International health law needs to be strengthened to address global health crises, and both the WHO and WTO should consider vaccines as global public goods. The role of the WHO in global health policy needs to be strengthened, and intellectual property waivers should be granted on vaccines during pandemics. New rules and mechanisms are needed to facilitate and guarantee the manufacturing and access of vaccines.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Caroline V. Wagner, Xiaojing Cai, Yi Zhang, Caroline Fry, Alberto Baccini
Summary: The emergence of the novel coronavirus in late 2019 had a significant impact on the community of coronavirus researchers. In 2020, there was a 20-fold increase in coronavirus-related publications compared to the previous two years, with 130,000 more researchers publishing on the topic. The United States, the United Kingdom, and China were the leaders in coronavirus research before the pandemic, and their dominance continued in 2020, accounting for 50% of all papers and over 60% of citations. China initially took the lead in COVID-19 research but saw a decline in production and international participation throughout the year. In contrast, Europe started slowly but increased its contributions during the year. The proportion of internationally collaborative publications decreased, while single-authored publications increased. The number of COVID-related publications for all nations, including China, closely matched the outbreak of COVID-19 cases. Lower-income nations had minimal participation in COVID-19 research in 2020. The topic maps of internationally collaborative work revealed the emergence of patient care and public health clusters, which were previously absent in coronavirus research prior to 2020. These findings support the idea of global science as a self-organizing system based on reputation.
Letter
Medicine, General & Internal
Peter W. W. Marks, Robert M. M. Califf, Paul A. A. Offit
Summary: The author of this letter criticizes Offit's viewpoint and presents evidence that shows the bivalent boosters have better immunogenicity against emerging variants. Therefore, the author suggests that the bivalent boosters should be deployed throughout the entire population, including against SARS-CoV-2 omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 as well as the ancestral strain.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Mohamed Boudjelal, Faisal Almajed, Ahmed M. Salman, Naif K. Alharbi, Margaretta Colangelo, Julia M. Michelotti, Gene Olinger, Mariwan Baker, Adrian V. S. Hill, Ahmed Alaskar
Summary: The forum discussed the global challenges and prospects of COVID-19 vaccines, highlighting the importance of investing in biotech-pharma to combat future health crises, with a focus on Saudi Arabia's leadership in the field among G20 members.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Javier Castrodeza-Sanz, Ivan Sanz-Munoz, Jose M. Eiros
Summary: In recent decades, improvements in traditional vaccines have led to the development of more processed vaccines with better tolerability profiles but lower immunogenicity. Adjuvants provide a good solution to enhance the immunogenicity of these vaccines with improved tolerability and fewer side effects. The approval of protein-based vaccines in 2022 and 2023 further expanded the options. Adjuvanted vaccines can induce potent immune responses in populations with weak or insufficient immune systems, such as the elderly, and could play a crucial role in completing global COVID-19 vaccination efforts in the present and future.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Mark Eccleston-Turner, Harry Upton
Summary: The paper highlights the importance of equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and the challenges faced by the COVAX Facility in achieving this goal. While the funding mechanism deployed by the COVAX Pillar appears to be effective in promoting research and development of vaccines, the prevalence of vaccine nationalism may limit equitable access to vaccines.
Editorial Material
Medicine, General & Internal
Lawrence O. Gostin, Daniel A. Salmon, Heidi J. Larson
Summary: This Viewpoint discusses the possibility of US states, businesses, health care facilities, and schools and universities mandating coronavirus vaccination as a requirement for employment or service.
JAMA-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Giuditta Guerrini, Davide Magri, Sabrina Gioria, Donata Medaglini, Luigi Calzolai
Summary: This Perspective provides a roadmap for the preclinical validation of potential nanoparticle-based vaccine candidates, taking into consideration the complexity of the materials and their immunomodulatory responses.
NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Tushar Yadav, Swatantra Kumar, Gourav Mishra, Shailendra K. K. Saxena
Summary: COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has posed a serious threat to human health worldwide. The development and use of COVID-19 vaccines have played a crucial role in controlling this life-threatening disease. Various vaccine platforms, including virus like particles (VLPs), subunit vaccines, DNA, RNA-based vaccines, viral vector-based vaccines, inactivated and live-attenuated vaccines, are currently in different stages of clinical trials. Protein subunit, RNA-based and non-replicating viral vector-based platforms have been widely used. Inactivated virus vaccine has been utilized clinically. Clinical trials have shown that most vaccines have local or systemic effects and varying efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. However, further studies are needed to refine the technology, minimize adverse effects, and improve safety and efficacy.
HUMAN VACCINES & IMMUNOTHERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Jang Hyun Park, Heung Kyu Lee
Summary: The development of COVID-19 vaccines includes various types such as subunit vaccines, inactivated vaccines, and nucleic acid vaccines, but currently only intramuscular vaccination is available. Research suggests that mucosal vaccination may enhance local immune responses, but the lack of understanding of mucosal immunity combined with the urgent need for a COVID-19 vaccine has resulted in the limited delivery options available at present.
Article
Immunology
Akshay Ayappan, Bijaya Kumar Padhi, L. Ananthesh, Raushan Kumar Chaudhary, Uday Venkat Mateti, Adithi Kellarai, Mazhuvanchery Kesavan Unnikrishnan, Jaclyn Drishal Dsouza, Ali Davod Parsa, Russell Kabir, Ranjit Sah
Summary: This study investigated the affordability, availability, and accessibility of COVID-19 vaccination, as well as the level of vaccine hesitancy among non-vaccinated individuals. The findings showed that individuals vaccinated at public health centers encountered more issues. Additionally, a significant proportion of the participants exhibited hesitancy towards COVID-19 vaccines due to concerns about their safety and efficacy.
Article
Biophysics
Riccardo Funari, Hidehiro Fukuyama, Amy Q. Shen
Summary: A multiplex nanoplasmonic biosensor has been developed to capture the humoral response against multiple antigens, providing a cost-effective and efficient alternative for serological analysis. The platform has demonstrated successful profiling of multiple serum antibodies and can be integrated with microfluidics for high throughput screening in vaccine development.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2022)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
M. Hameed, M. Najafi, S. Cheeti, A. Sheokand, A. Mago, S. Desai
Summary: COVID-19's global spread has highlighted the importance of collaboration between countries to prevent the virus from further transmission. Leadership and governance are found to be the most important factors in international collaboration between countries. Knowledge and information sharing help to avoid repeating negative situations experienced in other countries.
