AN OVERVIEW OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, SARS-COV-2 VIROLOGY, VACCINES, AND VARIANTS

Abstract

The infectious disease responsible for the worldwide epidemic is coronavirus virus 2019 (COVID-19), due to the novel severe respiratory disorder coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), initially found in Wuhan, China. Rapid global expansion of COVID-19 had disastrous effects on societal structures, economics, and healthcare systems. Many methods, such as public health initiatives and therapeutic therapies, have been used to lower morbidity and mortality (Huang et al., 2020). The strongest promising strategy for avoiding SARS-CoV-2 infection and limiting its spread among these is the creation of potent vaccinations. Extensive clinical studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of numerous vaccinations, significantly lowering the risk of infection and the severity of illness. However, issues about the efficacy of the vaccination have been raised by the appearance of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants with alterations that allow immune evasion.