Work on creating vaccines began in January 2020 with the deciphering of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. The first human trials of the vaccine began in March. Below you may see the status of all vaccines that have been tested on humans, as well as a selection of promising vaccines still being tested on cells or animals.
The vaccine testing process
Standard protocol:
- PRECLINICAL TESTING: Scientists give the vaccine to animals such as mice or monkeys to see if it produces an immune response.
- PHASE I SAFETY TRIALS: Scientists give the vaccine to a small number of people to test safety and dosage as well as to confirm that it stimulates the immune system.
- PHASE II EXPANDED TRIALS: Scientists give the vaccine to hundreds of people split into groups, such as children and the elderly, to see if the vaccine acts differently in them. These trials further test the vaccine’s safety and ability to stimulate the immune system.
- PHASE III EFFICACY TRIALS: Scientists give the vaccine to thousands of people and wait to see how many become infected, compared with volunteers who received a placebo. These trials can determine if the vaccine protects against the coronavirus.
- APPROVAL: Regulators in each country review the trial results and decide whether to approve the vaccine or not. During a pandemic, a vaccine may receive emergency use authorization before getting formal approval.
Special measures to speed up the COVID-19 vaccine development:
- COMBINED PHASES: Another way to accelerate vaccine development is to combine phases. Some coronavirus vaccines are now in Phase I/II trials, for example, in which they are tested for the first time on hundreds of people.
- WARP SPEED: The U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed program is expected to name five or more vaccine projects to receive billions of dollars in federal funding before there’s proof that the vaccines work.
List of current vaccines in progress
Genetic vaccines
Vaccines that use one or more of the coronavirus’s own genes to provoke an immune response.
| Company or laboratory name | Country of origin | Current stage | Notes | Source |
| Moderna | USA | Phase II | Included in the Operation Warp Speed | Link |
| Biontech / Pfizer / Fosun Pharma | Germany / USA / China | Combined (Phase I / Phase II) | Included in the Operation Warp Speed | Link |
| Imperial College London / Morningside | Great Britain | Combined (Phase I / Phase II) | Link | |
| Inovio | USA | Phase I | Link | |
| CureVac | Germany | Phase I | Link | |
| Genexine | South Korea | Phase I | ||
| Academy of Military Medical Sciences / Abogen Biosciences / Walvax Biotechnology | China | Phase I | Link | |
| Sanofen / Tranlsate Bio | France | Preclinical stage |
Viral Vector Vaccines
Vaccines that use a virus to deliver coronavirus genes into cells and provoke an immune response.
| Company or laboratory name | Country of origin | Current stage | Notes | Source |
| Oxford University / AstraZeneca | Great Britain / Sweden | Combined (Phase I / Phase II) | ● Included in the Operation Warp Speed
● The vaccine is based on a chimpanzee adenovirus called ChAdOx1 . |
Link |
| CanSino Biologics | China | Phase II / Limited approval | Link | |
| The Gamaleya Research Institute (part of Russia’s Ministry of Health) | Russian Federation | Phase I | Vaccine Gam-COVID-Vac Lyo – a combination of two adenoviruses, Ad5 and Ad26, both engineered with a coronavirus gene | |
| Beth Israel Deaconess / Johnson & Johnson | Israel / USA | Preclinical stage | Included in the Operation Warp Speed | |
| Novartis / Massachusetts Eye and Ear Hospital | Switzerland / USA | Preclinical stage | Link | |
| MERCK / IAVI | USA | Preclinical stage | The vaccine is based on vesicular stomatitis viruses | |
| MERCK / Themis | USA / Austria | Preclinical stage | The vaccine is based on measles virus | |
| Vaxart | USA | Preclinical stage | ● Included in the Operation Warp Speed
● The vaccine is an oral tablet containing an adenovirus that delivers coronavirus genes |
Protein-Based Vaccines
Vaccines that use a coronavirus protein or a protein fragment to provoke an immune response.
| Company or laboratory name | Country of origin | Current stage | Notes | Source |
| Novavax | USA | Combined (Phase I / Phase II) | ||
| Clover Biopharmaceuticals / GSK | China / Great Britain | Phase I | To stimulate the immune system, the vaccine is being given in conjunction with so-called adjuvants made by British drugmaker GSK | |
| Anhui Zhifei Longcom / Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences | China | Phase I | A vaccine that is a combination of viral proteins and an adjuvant that stimulates the immune system | |
| Baylor College of Medicine / Texas Children’s Hospital | USA | Preclinical stage | The vaccine is based on studies of the SARS epidemic in 2002. | |
| University of Pittsburgh | USA | Preclinical stage | A vaccine called PittCoVacc, is a skin patch tipped with 400 tiny needles made of sugar | Link |
| University of Queensland / CSL / GSK | Australia / Great Britain | Preclinical stage | Vaccine delivers viral proteins altered to draw a stronger immune response | |
| Sanofi / GSK | France / Great Britain | Preclinical stage | The vaccine is producing the proteins with engineered viruses that grow inside insect cells |
Whole-Virus Vaccines
Vaccines that use a weakened or inactivated version of the coronavirus to provoke an immune response.
| Company or laboratory name | Country of origin | Current stage | Notes | Source |
| Sinopharm | China | Phase III | The company reached an agreement with the United Arab Emirates to start testing the efficacy of an inactivated virus vaccine in the Gulf state | Link |
| Institute of Medical Biology at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences | China | Phase I | ||
| Sinovac | China | Combined (Phase I / Phase II) | After successful Phase I and Phase II, Sinovac is preparing Phase III trials in China and Brazil and is building a facility to manufacture up to 100 million doses annually |
Repurposed Vaccines
Vaccines already in use for other diseases that may also protect against Covid-19.
| Company or laboratory name | Country of origin | Current stage | Notes | Source |
| Murdoch Children’s Research Institute | Australia | Phase III | The study is based on researches of The Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine against tuberculosis developed in the early 1900s | Link |
Summary
| Preclinical stage | Phase I | Phase II | Phase III | Approval |
| 125+ | 11 | 8 | 3 | 1 |
