Coronavirus vaccines progress: What’s next?

The rapid development of the COVID-19 vaccines is having a profound effect on the world. This collection takes a closer look at the development, rollout and future of vaccines, including challenges that need to be overcome on the path to recovery.

FEATURED INSIGHTS

Article

When will the COVID-19 pandemic end?
– This article updates our perspectives on when the coronavirus pandemic will end to reflect the latest information on vaccine rollout,... variants of concern, and disease progression. Among high-income countries, cases caused by the Delta variant reversed the transition toward normalcy first in the United Kingdom, during June and July of 2021, and subsequently in the United States and elsewhere. Our own analysis supports the view of others that the Delta variant has effectively moved overall herd immunity out of reach in most countries for the time being. The United Kingdom’s experience nevertheless suggests that once a country has weathered a wave of Delta-driven cases, it may be able to resume the transition toward normalcy. Beyond that, a more realistic epidemiological endpoint might arrive not when herd immunity is achieved but when COVID-19 can be managed as an endemic disease. The biggest overall risk would likely then be the emergence of a significant new variant.
Article

Not the last pandemic: Investing now to reimagine public-health systems
– The COVID-19 crisis reminds us how underprepared the world was to detect and respond to emerging infectious diseases. Smart investments... of as little as $5 per person per year globally can help ensure far better preparation for future pandemics.
Article

Getting to work: Employers’ role in COVID-19 vaccination
– Employers can consider a set of actions that supports COVID-19-vaccine adoption among employees by building conviction and making... vaccination as convenient and “costless” as possible.

COVID-19 vaccines: The road to recovery and beyond

This new interview series includes a broad array of voices from the Africa CDC; CEPI; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; Moderna; Pfizer; and more on lessons learned leading the historic global effort to develop, distribute, and provide equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and perspectives on the future of immunization.
Interview

Africa’s plan for a continent-wide pandemic recovery
– Dr. John Nkengasong, director of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), explains what’s needed to tackle COVID-19 across the continent.
Interview

Finding solidarity in an effort to vaccinate the world
– Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, strengthens ties with partners to help increase global immunity in the context of COVID-19.

Meet some of our experts

The pandemic that is shaping us

As COVID-19 evolves, we asked some of our experts to share their perspectives on their experiences, the challenges that lie ahead, and the pandemic that is shaping us.

VACCINES AND THERAPEUTICS DEVELOPMENT

Article

Fast-forward: Will the speed of COVID-19 vaccine development reset industry norms?
– A review of the funding, operational, technological, and regulatory factors that allowed for fast development of COVID-19 vaccines shows which will remain relevant for future efforts—and which won’t.
Article

Africa needs vaccines. What would it take to make them here?
– For decades, private companies, investors, and public-health leaders have taken a pass on domestic vaccine manufacturing. But a confluence of circumstances may be changing the calculation.
Article

On pins and needles: Tracking COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics
– Key stakeholders will need to continue to monitor and adapt to new data and new variants emerging across the globe to respond effectively.
Article

Why tech transfer may be critical to beating COVID-19
– How quickly COVID-19 vaccine production ramps up will depend on technology transfer—the capabilities and processes that can speed vaccines from development to manufacturing. Are we ready?

VACCINE ROLLOUT & IMMUNIZATION

Interview

Moderna’s path to vaccine innovation: A talk with CEO Stéphane Bancel
– Moderna’s delivery of a COVID-19 vaccine comes on the heels of revolutionary science that may accelerate innovation across the industry well into the future.
Interactive

COVID-19 vaccine distribution
Explore the US rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations in comparison to the impact of cases.
Article

A light at the end of the tunnel: US COVID-19 vaccine administration
– More than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic began, a line of sight exists that promises enough vaccine for every eligible adult in the United States. This breakthrough offers hope, but also underscores an urgent need to plan the next phase of distribution and beyond.
Article

‘None are safe until all are safe’: COVID-19 vaccine rollout in low- and middle-income countries
– Despite persistent supply issues, in-country delivery and demand for COVID-19 vaccines is likely to be the next challenge for LMICs.
Article

“Getting shots into arms”: How US states are addressing the vaccine distribution challenge
– COVID-19 vaccine administration represents a significant challenge: States can accelerate progress through five lessons including establishing, enabling, and managing administration capacity.
Article

Is the world up to the challenge of mass COVID-19 vaccination?
– Amid the unforeseen effects of the pandemic on at-risk and lower-income communities, governments and organizations around the world must convene to ensure effective distribution of newly developed vaccines.
Article

The risks and challenges of the global COVID-19-vaccine rollout
– A realistic assessment of the heroic effort to administer billions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines to an agonized global population is necessary—the stakes could not be higher.
Article

The COVID-19 vaccines are here: What comes next?
– Countries must prepare now for the largest simultaneous global public-health initiative ever undertaken.

Vaccine Adoption

Article

Getting to work: Employers’ role in COVID-19 vaccination
– Employers can consider a set of actions that supports COVID-19-vaccine adoption among employees by building conviction and making... vaccination as convenient and “costless” as possible.
Article

COVID-19 vaccines meet 100 million uncertain Americans
– More than 100 million Americans are uncertain about vaccination. Public- and private-sector leaders can take action to support... adoption, including incremental investment in the range of $10 billion.
Article

COVID-19 vaccine: Are US consumers ready?
– While details of COVID-19 vaccine administration are still pending, healthcare stakeholders may want to consider their long-term... plans for consumer engagement in immunization. Here, we discuss the latest insights on US consumers’ reported acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination and considerations for healthcare leaders.
Interactive

How Americans feel about COVID-19 vaccinations
Over half the respondents in the United States report an interest in taking a COVID-19 vaccine though safety and efficacy concerns... remain drivers for vaccine hesitancy.

Pandemic end and future preparedness

Article

Not the last pandemic: Investing now to reimagine public-health systems
– The COVID-19 crisis reminds us how underprepared the world was to detect and respond to emerging infectious diseases. Smart investments... of as little as $5 per person per year globally can help ensure far better preparation for future pandemics.
Podcast

The COVID-19 vaccine: Lessons and challenges
– The rapid deployment of vaccines is key in accelerating the return to normalcy.
Article

When will the COVID-19 pandemic end?
– This article updates our perspectives on when the coronavirus pandemic will end to reflect the latest information on vaccine rollout,... variants of concern, and disease progression. Among high-income countries, cases caused by the Delta variant reversed the transition toward normalcy first in the United Kingdom, during June and July of 2021, and subsequently in the United States and elsewhere. Our own analysis supports the view of others that the Delta variant has effectively moved overall herd immunity out of reach in most countries for the time being. The United Kingdom’s experience nevertheless suggests that once a country has weathered a wave of Delta-driven cases, it may be able to resume the transition toward normalcy. Beyond that, a more realistic epidemiological endpoint might arrive not when herd immunity is achieved but when COVID-19 can be managed as an endemic disease. The biggest overall risk would likely then be the emergence of a significant new variant.

Our Social Impact

Blog Post

For World Immunization Week, reflections on the fight against infectious disease

– Our decades-long history in vaccine work, how we’re helping today, and what our vaccines leaders see going forward