Successfully arresting the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the causative pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – requires global vaccination. While high-income countries have already begun vaccinating their citizens, developing and lower-income countries are not expected to ramp up their vaccination programs until next year — increasing the risk for more local outbreaks.
Given the risk of SARS-CoV-2 developing new variants in unvaccinated individuals, vaccination sites are crucial. However, new research, from the University of Michigan, UC Berkeley and Oberlin College in the USA, shows current vaccination programs may be worsening regional outbreaks when viral strains and SARS-CoV-2 escape mutations outdo vaccination rates.
