Vaccination for Coronavirus Disease 2019: Opportunity, Hope and Challenges

COVID-19 continues to become a global threat. The development of COVID-19 vaccine has a potential to induce long-lasting cellular and humoral immunity and ending this pandemic. Currently, there are 213 vaccines in development, with 66 in clinical trials and 9 in phase III. In one hand the vaccines are developed using novel vaccine platforms including DNA and mRNA based, antigen-presenting cell, viral vector, protein or peptide-based, inactivated virus, and live attenuated virus platform. Each of these platforms has its own strength and weakness; however, they generally enable the vaccine to be developed safely, more quickly, and easier to upscale. In the other hand, the demand for COVID-19 vaccine has led to the development of vaccine being fast-tracked. Concerns are being raised for the efficacy, safety, equitability, and acceptance of these vaccines. Many are worried about the possibility of antibody-dependent enhancement that may worsen the recipient’s condition. Vaccine design therefore should take into account previous experience with vaccine-associated disease enhancement. Researchers should adhere to stringent standards of safety and efficacy when conducting vaccine’s clinical trials. Accelerated trials should also adhere to
the Declaration of Helsinki for the ethics of medical research. Global partnership for vaccine development and equitable distribution is also needed to prevent resurgences of cases. Finally, there is a need to combat misinformation and distrust of COVID-19 vaccine in the eye of the general public