Journey of the COVID-19 vaccine from 10 years to 1 year - Reassured with real world evidence

Severe Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to more than 110 million COVID 19 cases and 2.5 million deaths globally. Safe and effective vaccines are the most important tools to contain the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. With unprecedented speed and efficiency, the worldwide endeavor is bearing fruit. A handful of vaccines have been authorized either as Emergency Use or Conditional Approval worldwide. Preliminary real-world data has indicated that these vaccines prevent Covid-19 illness, including severe disease and related death, as well as reduce transmission. This review discusses three major factors that contributed to the lightning speed of Covid-19 vaccine development and provides an overview of Phase 3 study results and preliminary real-world evidence. [Am J Transl Med 2021. 5 (1):1-12].