This article is part of a series of explainers on vaccine development and distribution. Learn more about vaccines – from how they work and how they’re made to ensuring safety and equitable access – in WHO’s Vaccines Explained series.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, little has been met with more anticipation (or hesitancy) than the promise of a COVID-19 vaccine. However, by mid-November 2020, less than a year after SARS-CoV-2 gained global recognition as a public health threat, this “promise” has moved from speculation to possibility, and the news has everyone talking.