COVID-19 Vaccines: Current Status and Future Prospects

Vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been developed in record time – the fastest in medical history! Many types of vaccines, using both traditional platforms, as well as newer ones using novel technologies, have been developed. Many of these vaccines have already been deployed in global COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. Many more are still undergoing preclinical and clinical development, which will help to strengthen and replenish the vaccine pipeline. All the vaccines that are currently being used for mass vaccination are extremely safe and highly efficacious. These are capable of generating robust humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. However, with the emergence of variants, the efficacy of some of these vaccines have started to wane. The present review explores the current status of COVID-19 vaccines, as well as the future prospects for these life-saving tools, given that variants are now a stark reality.