Recipients of COVID-19 vaccines face challenges of SARS-CoV-2 variants

The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has been rampant since 2019, severely affecting global public health, and causing 5.75 million deaths worldwide. So far, many vaccines have been developed to prevent the infection of SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, the emergence of new variants may threat vaccine recipients as they might evade immunological surveillance that depends on the using of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody to neutralize the viral particles. Recent studies have found that recipients who received two doses of vaccination plus an additional booster shoot were able to quickly elevate neutralization response and immune response against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 virus and some initially appeared viral variants. In this review, we assessed the real-world effectiveness of different COVID-19 vaccines by population studies and neutralization assays and compared neutralization responses of booster vaccines in vitro. Finally, as the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine is expected to decline over time, continued vaccination should be considered to achieve a long-term immune protection against coronavirus.

Automated summary

COVID-19, which broke out in 2019, has had a significant impact on global public health with 5.75 million deaths worldwide. Various vaccines have been developed to prevent the infection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, new variants pose a threat to vaccine recipients as they may escape immunological surveillance. Recent studies have shown that individuals who received two doses of vaccination and an additional booster shot were able to enhance neutralization and immune responses against the wild-type SARS-CoV-2 virus and certain initial viral variants. This review assesses the real-world effectiveness of different COVID-19 vaccines through population studies and neutralization assays, as well as comparing in vitro neutralization responses of booster vaccines. Lastly, continued vaccination is recommended to achieve long-term immune protection against the coronavirus as vaccine efficacy is expected to decline over time.