Preparing the Community for a Vaccine Against COVID-19

Abstract

The availability of a vaccine to protect the community against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the most significant and immediate technical challenge humanity has ever faced especially when the general public’s trust in the vaccine is alarmingly brittle. For months, the world has eagerly awaited news of the COVID-19 vaccine. The initial COVID-19 vaccine trials have demonstrated promising results against SARS-CoV-2 and are now being developed by many manufacturers. As of August 2020, there are 231 vaccine candidates in development, although no candidate has completed clinical trials to prove its safety and efficacy. Twenty-six vaccine candidates are in clinical trials, with six beginning phase III clinical trial and 20 still in phase I–II, to provide estimates of two billion doses of vaccines that are needed to meet the global requirements by the end of 2021. This unprecedented progress towards an effective vaccine is by far the most important breakthrough in the world. The experts estimate that a fast-tracked vaccine development process could accelerate a successful vaccine to market by the end of 2020. The race for the coronavirus vaccine gives hope for millions of individuals. Therefore, it is important to ensure that this is done without compromising the vaccines’ safety and efficacy by ensuring thorough clinical trials. Several major concerns have been voiced among health advocates, for example, who will get access to the vaccine? Will it get to everyone who demands it? Will the access be only to countries wealthy enough to enter into lucrative contracts in progress? And more significantly, if the state receives the vaccine, will the community’s willingness to get vaccinated be high enough? Seventy-five member states have submitted expressions of interest to protect their populations by joining the global COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility, a mechanism designed to assure rapid, fair, and easy access to COVID-19 vaccines worldwide. The COVID-19 vaccines are going to be offered equally to all or any participating countries, proportional to their populations, initially prioritizing health care workers (HCWs), but ultimately covering 20% of the most vulnerable population of participating member states. If these efforts are successful, the COVID-19 vaccine will be deemed efficient and safe for human use after passing regulatory approvals and World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification.

Keywords