The Challenges and Achievements in COVID-19 Treatment and Vaccines

In December 2019, a new strain of betacoronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), that cause coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), emerged in Wuhan, China. Subsequently, the virus quickly spread worldwide, and the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. In response to the pandemic, many researchers are rushing to repurpose existing drugs to alter the course of severe COVID-19, as well as testing experimental treatments. Among antiviral agents, remdesivir, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitor, showed clinical benefit from randomized clinical trial. In October 2020, the FDA approved remdesivir for treating hospitalized patients with COVID-19, making it the first drug approved for COVID-19 treatment. The race to produce safe and effective vaccines is also moving at unprecedent speed. In December 2020, the FDA issued an emergency authorization use for the first vaccine for COVID-19.