As of March 15, 2021, there have been over 120 million cases and 2.66 million deaths from COVID-19 around the globe, an increase of 43 percent in cases and 45 percent in deaths, since January 1. A second wave of the pandemic in the fall and winter resulted in a substantial increase in cases, severely straining even the strongest health care systems. Now, some countries are bracing for third and fourth waves. Several mutations of the virus—the three most prominent ones having emerged from the U.K. (B.1.1.7), South Africa (B.1.351), and Brazil (P.1)—have been complicating COVID-19 management just as vaccines are rolling out. According to The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.K. variant has been spreading quickly across the U.K., the U.S., and elsewhere, while laboratory studies indicate that the South African and Brazilian variants may be more resistant to vaccines. These mutations and stalled rollout of the vaccine across many parts of the world compound the urgency with which nations must act.
The authorization, approval, and initial distribution of 13 different COVID-19 vaccines, and the development of nearly 100 more that are currently in trials, offer hope for more effective management and an eventual end to the pandemic. As of this writing, there are seven vaccines approved for widespread use, six in early or limited use, and 23 in large-scale efficacy Phase 3 testing. A comparative summary of the leading vaccines currently being distributed globally is below:
No comments:
Post a Comment