News & Comment

Ethical principles should prevail in the collection, testing and use of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) for human research in low- and middle- income countries. To appropriately guarantee safety, only blood establishments that comply with recognized quality standards should collect CCP.

Convalescent plasma therapy holds promise as a transient treatment for COVID-19. Yet, blood products are important sources of HIV infection in low- and middle-income nations. Great care must be taken to prevent plasma therapy from fueling HIV epidemics in the developing world.

The continued explosive spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) despite aggressive public health measures has triggered an unprecedented international vaccine effort. However, correlates of protection, which can help guide intelligent vaccine design, are not known for SARS-CoV-2. Research on influenza immunity and vaccine development may provide valuable lessons for coronavirus efforts, especially considering similarities in rapid evolutionary potential. The apparent inevitability of future novel coronavirus outbreaks must prompt work on a universal coronavirus vaccine.

The twenty-first century has come with a new era in vaccinology, in which recombinant genetic technology has contributed to setting an unprecedented fast pace in vaccine development, clearly demonstrated during the recent COVID-19 pandemic.

The outbreak of 2019-novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that is caused by SARS-CoV-2 has spread rapidly in China, and has developed to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. However, no specific antiviral treatments or vaccines are available yet. This work aims to share strategies and candidate antigens to develop safe and effective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2.