Muristek
The vaccines to prevent COVID-19 are remarkable for their safety, efficacy, and pace of development. Initial enthusiasm that followed the release of the preliminary results that formed the basis for distribution of the vaccines under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) has been dampened by the inequity in access to the vaccines across the globe, vaccine hesitancy, and emergence of variants that partly evade vaccine-induced antibodies. These factors are related, and all 3 contribute to ongoing morbidity, mortality, and societal disruption related to SARS-CoV-2 in much of the world. Incomplete coverage with the vaccine leads to infection of immunocompromised persons who are likely to harbor the virus for prolonged periods (or chronically), allowing for mutations that are then selected for immune evasion and better fitness to the human host. The new variants are sufficiently altered structurally such that neither prior SARS-CoV-2 infection or even much higher levels of vaccine-induced antibodies are protective.
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