<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>COVID-19 vaccines are being produced using different platforms by different companies, some of which are entering Phase 3 and 4 trials. Due to the pandemic, this production has been accelerated, which leaves a window for speculation on the method of production and safety. Pharmacists are familiar with vaccination; however, COVID-19 vaccines are still new and further work is needed to clarify many aspects, including side effects, methods of storage, and number of doses. Prioritization of vaccination has been implemented to a certain extent, but no clear strategy is available. A comprehensive overview on immunity and immunological principles for the design of COVID-19 vaccine strategies is provided in this narrative review and the current COVID-19 vaccine landscape is discussed, in addition to exploring the principles for prioritization of vaccination using data from articles available in PubMed and from health organizations. Pharmacists should have a better understanding of COVID-19 vaccines and their manufacture. This would also allow better counseling of the public on COVID 19, immunization, and explaining prioritization basis and vaccination programs.</p>
</abstract>

COVID-19 vaccines are being produced using different platforms by different companies, some of which are entering Phase 3 and 4 trials. Due to the pandemic, this production has been accelerated, which leaves a window for speculation on the method of production and safety. Pharmacists are familiar with vaccination; however, COVID-19 vaccines are still new and further work is needed to clarify many aspects, including side effects, methods of storage, and number of doses. Prioritization of vaccination has been implemented to a certain extent, but no clear strategy is available. A comprehensive overview on immunity and immunological principles for the design of COVID-19 vaccine strategies is provided in this narrative review and the current COVID-19 vaccine landscape is discussed, in addition to exploring the principles for prioritization of vaccination using data from articles available in PubMed and from health organizations. Pharmacists should have a better understanding of COVID-19 vaccines and their manufacture. This would also allow better counseling of the public on COVID 19, immunization, and explaining prioritization basis and vaccination programs.

COVID-19 immunity and vaccines: what a pharmacist needs to know

Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, School of Pharmacy

Asian Biomedicine

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"COVID-19 immunity and vaccines: what a pharmacist needs to know"}

COVID-19 vaccines are being produced using different platforms by different companies, some of which are entering Phase 3 and 4 trials. Due to the pandemic,...

COVID-19 immunity and vaccines: what a pharmacist needs to know

Article Category: Review

Published Online: Apr 30, 2021

Page range: 51 - 67

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/abm-2021-0008

Keywords
COVID-19, coronavirus, pharmacist, SARS-CoV-2, vaccines

© 2021 Rula M. Darwish, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

COVID-19 immunity and vaccines: what a pharmacist needs to know

Article Category: Review

Published Online: Apr 30, 2021

Page range: 51 - 67

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/abm-2021-0008

KeywordsCOVID-19, coronavirus, pharmacist, SARS-CoV-2, vaccines

© 2021 Rula M. Darwish, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
COVID-19, coronavirus, pharmacist, SARS-CoV-2, vaccines