Unpacking the Implications of SARS-CoV-2 Breakthrough Infections on COVID-19 Vaccination Programs

Abstract

Despite an array of preventive global public health interventions, SARS-CoV-2 has continued to spread significantly, infecting millions of people across the globe weekly. Newer variants of interest and concern have continued to emerge, placing the need for policymakers to rethink prevention strategies to end the pandemic. The approval of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines for public health use in December 2020 was seen as a significant development towards pandemic control and possibly ending the pandemic. However, breakthrough infections have continued to be observed among the ‘fully vaccinated’, and the duration and sustainability of vaccine-induced immunity has remained a topical public health discourse. In the absence of accurate public health communication, the breakthrough infections and waning immunity concepts have potential to further compound vaccine hesitancy. With this viewpoint, we discuss breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections, waning immunity, the need for COVID-19 booster shots, vaccine inequities, and the need to address vaccine hesitancy adequately to propel global vaccination programs forward.

Germany’s fourth COVID-19 wave was mainly driven by the unvaccinated

“…Given that breakthrough cases are a challenge both for communication and vaccine acceptance 13 and that harsh NPIs may be illegitimate for vaccinated individuals, the above situation raises two important questions: How much does the unvaccinated population contribute to the infection dynamics despite being in the minority? And could targeted NPIs aiming at reducing the contacts of unvaccinated individuals temporarily and sufficiently suppress the infection dynamics such that harsh, large-scale NPIs could be avoided?…”

An overview on nanoparticle-based strategies to fight viral infections with a focus on COVID-19

“…These vaccines can be advanced and generated rapidly on a wide-ranging and do not need extremely low temperatures for transport and storing. However, pre-existing immune reactions to the vector can restrict the capability of the vector to carry genetic material to target cells and thus decrease the efficiency of the vaccine [ 118 – 120 ]. Subunit vaccines are vaccines produced based on synthetic peptides or recombinant proteins.…”

Maternal, Sexual and Reproductive Health in Marginalised Areas: Renewing Community Involvement Strategies beyond the Worst of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Optimising the uptake of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is important towards propelling countries to high proportions of vaccinated cohorts, reducing the chances of breakthrough infections and the continued emergence of variants of concern [ 36 ]. We, therefore, suggest that the government of Zimbabwe must develop full COVID-19 vaccination guidelines for the population of pregnant women, following the examples that have been set by other bodies such as the WHO, the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RCOG) and the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (ACOG).…”