SARS-COV-2 mutations and variations and how COVID-19 vaccines work against the variants

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has had a major impact on human health globally; infecting a large number of people and resulting in increased mortality. The WHO has received many reports of SARS-CoV-2 mutations and variants. The best-known variants are the British, South African, and Brazilian variants, which differ in the genetic record but share the N501Y mutation, which exists in the receptor-binding domain, and is critical for binding to the human ACE2 receptor (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2). So far, mRNA (Pfizer, Moderna) and vector (Astra Zeneca, Johnson & Johnson) vaccines have been used against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Others are undergoing diagnostic tests. However, further research is needed to show how the respective vaccines deal with the identified mutations and the whole range of SARS-CoV-2 variants. A systematic review including the current evidence related to different variants of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 vaccines was conducted through a systemic search utilizing the keywords in the online databases including Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science; we retrieved all related papers and reports published in English from 2019 to 2021.