Table 4 Available COVID-19 vaccines, their effectiveness, and coverage against different SARS-CoV-2 variants

mRNA-based vaccines

Pfizer-BioNTech

(BNT162b2)

• Vaccine effectiveness of 95% against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 after two doses of vaccine administration

• Vaccine effectiveness of 89% against Alpha variant

• Vaccine effectiveness of 87% against Beta variant

• Vaccine effectiveness of 88% against Gamma variant

• 2.9- to 13.4-fold reduction in serum neutralizing antibodies titers against Epsilon variant in comparison to the wild-type virus

• 8-fold reduction in serum neutralizing antibodies titers against Kappa variant in comparison to the wild-type virus

• 2.5- to 4-fold reduction in serum neutralizing antibodies titers against Lambda variant in comparison to the wild-type virus

• 3.1-fold reduction in serum neutralizing antibodies titers against Mu variant in comparison to the wild-type virus

• Vaccine effectiveness of 84–88% against Delta variant

Pain, swelling, redness, fatigue, headache, fever, chills, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, joint pain, lymphadenopathy, shoulder injury, right axillary lymphadenopathy, and right leg paresthesia, allergic reactions including anaphylaxis, paroxysmal ventricular arrhythmia, and syncope.

[104,105,106,107,108,109,110,111]

Moderna

(mRNA-1273)

• Vaccine effectiveness of 94.1% against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 after two doses of vaccine administration

• Vaccine effectiveness of 92% against Alpha variant

• Vaccine effectiveness of 89% against Beta variant

• Vaccine effectiveness of 89% against Gamma variant

• 2.8-fold reduction in serum neutralizing antibodies titers against Epsilon variant in comparison to the wild-type virus

• 8-fold reduction in serum neutralizing antibodies titers against Kappa variant in comparison to the wild-type virus

• 2.5- to 4-fold reduction in serum neutralizing antibodies titers against Lambda variant in comparison to the wild-type virus

• 3.1-fold reduction in serum neutralizing antibodies titers against Mu variant in comparison to the wild-type virus

• Vaccine effectiveness of 95% against Delta variant

Pain, swelling, redness at the site of injection, fever, fatigue, headache, chills, vomiting, arthralgia, myalgia, urticaria. (These clinical symptoms were mild to moderate after the first dose of vaccine and moderate to severe after the second dose of vaccine), Allergic reactions including anaphylaxis, facial swelling, and Bell’s palsy.

[98, 105, 107,108,109, 112,113,114]

Adenovirus-vectored vaccines

Oxford/AstraZeneca

(ChAdOx1-S)

• Vaccine effectiveness of 79% against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 after two doses of vaccine administration

• Vaccine effectiveness of 91% against Alpha variant

• Vaccine effectiveness of 64–67% against Delta variant

Chills, fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, myalgia, arthralgia, injection site tenderness, pain, warmness, pruritus, bruising, swelling, and erythema, fatigue, malaise, and venous thromboembolism.

[105, 110, 111, 115]

Johnson & Johnson;

(Janssen, Ad26.COV2.S)

• Vaccine effectiveness of 66.9% against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 after a single-dose vaccine administration

• Vaccine effectiveness of 70.2% against Alpha variant

• Vaccine effectiveness of 51.9–64.7% against Beta variant

• Vaccine effectiveness of 36.5% against Gamma variant

• 3.2- to 4.9-fold reduction in serum neutralizing antibodies titers against Lambda variant in comparison to the wild-type virus

• Vaccine effectiveness of 60% against Delta variant

Chills, fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, myalgia, arthralgia, injection site tenderness, pain, warmness, pruritus, bruising, swelling, and erythema, fatigue, malaise, and venous thromboembolism.

[108, 113, 116,117,118]

Protein subunit vaccines

Novavax

(Nuvaxovid, NVX-CoV2373)

• Vaccine effectiveness of 89.7% against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 after two doses of vaccine administration

• Vaccine effectiveness of 86.3% against Alpha variant

• Vaccine effectiveness of 51.1–60% against Beta variant

Headache, fatigue, and malaise.

[118,119,120]

Inactivated vaccines

CoronaVac

(Sinovac)

• Vaccine effectiveness of 51% against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 after two doses of vaccine administration

• Vaccine effectiveness of 59–60% against Delta variant

Injection site pain.

[114, 121, 122]

Sinopharm

(BBIBP-CorV)

• Vaccine effectiveness of 79% against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 after two doses of vaccine administration

• Vaccine effectiveness of 46.8% against Gamma variant

Injection site pain and fever.

[123]

Bharat Biotech

(COVAXIN, BBV152)

• Vaccine effectiveness of 81% against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 after two doses of vaccine administration

• Vaccine effectiveness of 65.2% against Delta variant

Injection site pain, fever, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting.

[105, 114]