As the global vaccination drive had started breaking the chain of spread of the disease, the emergence of viral variants surfaced a new challenge. These mutated viral strains have been found to be targeted by some of the existing vaccines, though with a lesser efficacy as compared to the classical SARS-COV-2 strain.
In the current scenario, as the COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the world, it becomes imperative to figure out ways of combating the exponential viral load. New strategies such as combination regimens and/or modification of the existing vaccines are being evaluated for the desired efficacy against the variant strains. The special population and vulnerable population groups are also being enrolled in the trials.
While the efforts are on to cover the maximum possible people through vaccination, the parallel focus on the safety of the vaccine candidates is a subject of continuous surveillance, bringing forth the importance of pharmacovigilance (vaccine vigilance).
The health and regulatory bodies all over the world have joined hands to bring about a permanent and persistent decline of the pandemic.
Download the article to learn how the research community is trying to keep pace with the variant strains and how this has impacted the vaccination strategy.