Since the novel coronavirus was first reported in December 2019, the disease has infected more than 775 million people and caused more than 7 million deaths. This makes the new coronavirus the seventh deadliest pandemic in recorded history.
Factors such as climate change, destruction of animal habitats, poverty, and global travel increase the likelihood of more pandemics in the future.
It is impossible to predict exactly when the next pandemic will occur or what it will look like. But experts around the world are working to prepare for this inevitable “Disease X.”
One of the cornerstones of preparing for the next pandemic is being in the best possible position to design and deploy an appropriate vaccine. To this end, scientists and researchers can learn a lot from the development of coronavirus vaccines.
look back
Vaccine development has progressed very quickly since SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes the novel coronavirus) was discovered. The first batch of the vaccine was completed in February 2020 (from Moderna), and the first clinical trials began in March.
The Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine was first approved in the UK on December 2, 2020. Approval of this vaccine and others soon followed, including shots developed by Moderna (another mRNA vaccine) and Oxford/AstraZeneca (a viral vector vaccine).
Previously, it took about four years for the fastest vaccine to be developed (for mumps in the 1960s). If it took this long to develop a coronavirus vaccine, we would have one just this year.
An estimated 13.72 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines have now been administered, and more than 70% of the world’s population has received at least one dose.
The rapid development and deployment of a coronavirus vaccine is likely to be one of the greatest achievements in medical history. It also means we are in a better position to respond to new pathogens in the future.
new vaccine technology
A lot of work over the years has enabled us to develop a coronavirus vaccine as quickly as ever. This includes the development of new platforms such as viral vectors and mRNA vaccines that can rapidly adapt to new pathogens.
Scientists have been working on developing mRNA vaccines for decades before the coronavirus pandemic, but Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna’s coronavirus vaccines are the first to be approved for use in humans. It became an mRNA vaccine.
These vaccines work by instructing our bodies to make the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (the “m” in mRNA stands for messenger). These are proteins on the surface of the virus that the virus uses to attach to cells. This means that our immune system is ready to respond when we encounter SARS-CoV-2.
This technology will almost certainly be used to protect against other diseases and could also be useful in future pandemics.
In the meantime, scientists are working to further improve mRNA technology. For example, “self-amplifying RNA” may enhance immune responses at lower doses compared to traditional mRNA.
mRNA vaccines teach our bodies to make the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Katerina Conn/Shutterstock
Current coronavirus vaccines are safe and highly effective at preventing severe disease, but they are not perfect. While we may never have a “perfect” vaccine, additional properties to look forward to in future coronavirus vaccines include greater efficacy in reducing transmission, longer duration, and One example is that there is little need for updates even if new variants emerge.
Many new coronavirus vaccines are currently in clinical trials. So we hope that a COVID-19 vaccine that improves after the first dose will be available relatively soon.
Other desirable properties include vaccines that can be administered by an alternative route to the needle. For other diseases, such as the coronavirus and influenza, we are seeing significant developments domestically and internationally regarding vaccines that can be administered by skin patch, nasally, or even orally.
some challenges
Developing a vaccine for the new coronavirus was a major challenge, but we can judge it to be mostly successful. Research estimates that coronavirus vaccines saved 14.4 million lives in 185 countries in the first year alone.
But the story of coronavirus vaccination has many other challenges, and perhaps many failures as well.
First, the vaccine was not distributed equitably. Analysis of the initial rollout suggests that almost 80% of eligible people in high-income countries have been vaccinated, compared to just over 10% in low-income countries.
Vaccine supplies are an issue in many parts of the world, so expanding regional manufacturing capacity to enable faster vaccine production and distribution will be critical for the next pandemic.
Additionally, adverse events associated with the coronavirus vaccine, including rare blood clots after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, have affected perceptions of the vaccine’s safety. Although all serious adverse events are significant, these events were extremely rare.
But these problems have exacerbated other challenges hindering the vaccine rollout, such as the spread of misinformation.
Misinformation is an ongoing problem and will likely remain prevalent whenever we face the next pandemic. To meet this challenge, we need to understand what prevents people from getting vaccinated, inform and educate, and address misinformation about both the risks of vaccination and the disease itself. .
There must also remain a focus on restoring and building trust in public health authorities. Evidence shows that trust in governments and health authorities has declined during the coronavirus pandemic, and that lower trust is associated with lower vaccine uptake.
The rollout of coronavirus vaccines faced a variety of challenges. Yuganov Konstantin/Shutterstock
preparations in progress
There is no doubt that our recent experience with the coronavirus, especially the rapid development of multiple safe and effective vaccines, has put us in a good position to fight the next pandemic.
This didn’t happen by chance. Even before the coronavirus was first discovered, many preparations were being made to facilitate this. Organizations such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) have been supporting research to quickly develop vaccines for emerging threats for some time.
CEPI has an ongoing program that aims to enable the development of a vaccine against a new threat, Disease X, in just 100 days. Although the new coronavirus vaccine has achieved great success, work continues in hopes of developing the next vaccine even faster.
This article is part of a series on the upcoming pandemic.
