COVID-19 vaccine challenges: What have we learned so far and what remains to be done?

Developing and distributing a safe and effective SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccine has garnered immense global interest. Less than a year after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, several vaccine candidates had received emergency use authorization across a range of countries. Despite this scientific breakthrough, the journey from vaccine discovery to global herd immunity against COVID-19 continues to present significant policy challenges that require a collaborative, global response. We offer a framework for understanding remaining and new policy challenges for successful global vaccine campaigns against COVID-19 as well as potential solutions to address them. Decision-makers must be aware of these challenges and strategize solutions that can be implemented at scale. These include challenges around maintaining R&D incentives, running clinical trials, authorizations, post-market surveillance, manufacturing and supply, global dissemination, allocation, uptake, and clinical system adaption. Alongside these challenges, financial and ethical concerns must also be addressed. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.

Automated summary

The development and distribution of a safe and effective SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccine has attracted global interest. Despite emergency use authorization for several vaccine candidates within a year of the pandemic, there are still significant policy challenges that require a collaborative global response.