![]() A summary of historical landmarks in vaccine development is shown in Table 1. All of these mechanisms of vaccination have ultimately derived from the basic principles that were uncovered hundreds of years ago. Current vaccine platforms include: live-attenuated, inactivated, toxoid, subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, conjugate, and the most recent platform mRNA vaccines. The vaccine platform introduced by Pasteur is still highly relevant to current vaccine research, but an array of new vaccine platforms are available in the modern day. Vaccine development has persisted into the modern day, and while based on the same principles, the methods of antigen introduction have evolved. This provided the ability to inject a pathogen that would result in limited adverse effects, elicit an immune response to develop protection, and prevent contraction of the disease. A significant aspect of this discovery was the ability to attenuate a pathogen. Furthering these basic principles of vaccination, research conducted by Louis Pasteur in the 19th century resulted in the discovery of attenuated pathogens that were inoculated into a subject, in order to prevent a potential ensuing infection when exposed to the same pathogen. ![]() This was first recorded in Chinese literature, whereby ingesting small amounts of poison could prevent potential fatality of a larger poison dose. The original premise of vaccination, dating back to the eleventh century, was human exposure to a small amount of a disease, to promote protection and immunity against subsequent exposure of a larger quantity of the same pathogen. The establishment of vaccines represents a vital instrument in reducing rates of infections and diseases globally. ![]() The present review was designed to provide an update on the current state of science related to the safety and efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines. Thus, it is important to clarify the objective data related to vaccine safety, including known side effects and potential adverse reactions. A successful vaccination campaign is contingent on widespread access to the vaccine under appropriate storage conditions, deployment of a sufficient number of vaccinators, and the willingness of the population to be vaccinated. The rapid pace of vaccine development and the uncertainty of potential long-term adverse effects raised some level of hesitation against mRNA vaccines in the global community. Published safety and efficacy trials reported high efficacy rates of 94-95 % after two interval doses, in conjunction with limited side effects and a low rate of adverse reactions. These vaccines are based on the mRNA vaccine platform and were developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. In December 2020, the first two vaccines were approved by the FDA through emergency use authorization in the United States. ![]() This implies that at least 70-80 % of the population must achieve active immunity against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), either as a result of a previous COVID-19 infection or by vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. With a death toll surpassing 500,000 in the United States alone, containing the pandemic is predicated on achieving herd immunity on a global scale. The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has infected more than 100 million people globally within the first year of the pandemic.
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