COVID-19 vaccine
| Vaccine description | |
|---|---|
| Target | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Vaccine type | mRNA, viral, inactivated, protein |
| Clinical data | |
| License data | |
| Routes of administration | Mostly Intramuscular, also via nasal spray |
| ATC code | |
| Part of a series on the |
| COVID-19 pandemic |
|---|
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| COVID-19 portal |
A COVID‑19 vaccine is a vaccine designed to induce immunity against SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 vaccines help reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitalisation and death from the virus.
COVID‑19 vaccines were developed at an unprecedented pace to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, with the first clinical trials beginning in March 2020. Before approval, vaccines underwent the standard three phases of clinical trials, although phases were conducted in parallel to accelerate development. Vaccines have been developed based both on classical technologies (using inactivated virus or protein subunit), and novel platforms (mRNA or viral vector-based).
Prior research on coronaviruses causing severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) accelerated the development of various vaccine platforms in early 2020. The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID‑19.
Major vaccines include the Pfizer–BioNTech mRNA vaccine, Moderna mRNA vaccine, and the Novavax protein subunit vaccine. With the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, the original vaccines—particularly Pfizer–BioNTech and Moderna vaccines—have been updated. These "variant-adapted" vaccines are offered as booster doses. The immunity from the vaccines also wanes over time, requiring people to get boosters to maintain protection.
Common side effects of COVID‑19 vaccines include soreness, fatigue, headache, myalgia (muscle pain), and arthralgia (joint pain), which resolve without medical treatment within a few days. COVID‑19 vaccination is safe for people who are pregnant or are breastfeeding.
The COVID‑19 vaccines are widely credited for their role in reducing the spread of COVID‑19 and reducing the severity and death caused by COVID‑19. Many countries implemented phased distribution plans that prioritized those at highest risk of complications, such as the elderly, and those at high risk of exposure, such as healthcare workers. By December 2020, more than 10 billion vaccine doses had been preordered, with about half of the doses purchased by high-income countries comprising 14% of the world's population. As of August 2024, over 13 billion doses of COVID‑19 vaccines have been administered worldwide.