The COVID-19 virus is not going anywhere any time soon and, as new variants keep cropping up across the globe, vaccine development cannot afford to stand still.
There are currently just over 100 vaccines in clinical development worldwide but only four authorised vaccines in the EU, of which mRNA vaccines dominate.
As the initial vaccine race has started to subside, discussion have started focusing on the need for booster shots and a longer-term vaccination strategy.
How can the EU strengthen its vaccine autonomy? What kind of booster vaccines will be needed? And what will the strategies for coping with COVID look like in the near future?
In this Special Report, EURACTIV looks at what we should expect in this ongoing vaccination marathon.
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Spanish firm finetunes ‘second generation’ COVID-19 vaccine for EU’s booster campaign
A Spanish company active in animal health stands ready to start clinical trials and get the EU's regulatory go-ahead for a 'deadline-proof' recombinant protein vaccine. EURACTIV spoke with the company's chief of the vaccine programme.
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Protein subunit and inactivated vaccines line up to join vaccination campaigns
The EU seems to be comfortable with betting on mRNA COVID vaccines for now. But just around the corner, vaccines developed under other platforms are lining up, with recombinant proteins and the whole virion-inactivated vaccines leading the way.
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Some vaccine platforms can be easier adapted to new COVID-19 variants
For now, vaccines are capable of dealing with SARS-CoV-2 virus variants circulating in the world. But as new variants potentially emerge vaccines might need to be adapted to fight the new strains.
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‘Mix and match’ approach to COVID-19 vaccines could help boost effectiveness
‘Mix and match’ or heterologous vaccination strategy split the scientists over the usage of different vaccines against covid. While some argue that this would boost the protection others say that more evidence is needed.
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The vaccination race: a public health view
Marathon runners say that the real difficulties, what they call "the wall", appear between km 30 and 35. At this point, physical and mental exhaustion forces some runners to withdraw. We have reached this point with COVID-19. We must find the tools and the strength to keep on running. Finishing this race is critical for all of us. It is critical to the entire world.