The End or a New Era of Development of SARS-CoV-2 Virus: Genetic Variants Responsible for Severe COVID-19 and Clinical Efficacy of the Most Commonly Used Vaccines in Clinical Practice
Dimitrina Miteva,
Meglena Kitanova,
Hristiana Batselova,
Snezhina Lazova,
Lyubomir Chervenkov,
Monika Peshevska-Sekulovska,
Metodija Sekulovski,
Milena Gulinac,
Georgi V. Vasilev,
Luchesar Tomov,
Tsvetelina Velikova
Affiliations
Dimitrina Miteva
Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, 8 Dragan Tzankov str., 1164 Sofia, Bulgaria
Meglena Kitanova
Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, 8 Dragan Tzankov str., 1164 Sofia, Bulgaria
Hristiana Batselova
Department of Epidemiology and Disaster Medicine, University Hospital “Saint George”, Medical University, 6000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Snezhina Lazova
Pediatric Department, University Hospital “N. I. Pirogov,” 21 “General Eduard I. Totleben” Blvd, 1606 Sofia, Bulgaria
Lyubomir Chervenkov
Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Medical University Plovdiv, Bul. Vasil Aprilov 15A, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Monika Peshevska-Sekulovska
Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Lozenetz, 1407 Sofia, Bulgaria
Metodija Sekulovski
Medical Faculty, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, 1407 Sofia, Bulgaria
Milena Gulinac
Department of General and Clinical Pathology, Medical University of Plovdiv, Bul. Vasil Aprilov 15A, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Georgi V. Vasilev
Clinic of Endocrinology and Metabolic Disorders, UMHAT “Sv. Georgi”, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Luchesar Tomov
Department of Informatics, New Bulgarian University, Montevideo 21 str., 1618 Sofia, Bulgaria
Tsvetelina Velikova
Medical Faculty, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, 1407 Sofia, Bulgaria
Although the chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the end of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a global health emergency, the disease is still a global threat. To be able to manage such pandemics in the future, it is necessary to develop proper strategies and opportunities to protect human life. The data on the SARS-CoV-2 virus must be continuously analyzed, and the possibilities of mutation and the emergence of new, more infectious variants must be anticipated, as well as the options of using different preventive and therapeutic techniques. This is because the fast development of severe acute coronavirus 2 syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern have posed a significant problem for COVID-19 pandemic control using the presently available vaccinations. This review summarizes data on the SARS-CoV-2 variants that are responsible for severe COVID-19 and the clinical efficacy of the most commonly used vaccines in clinical practice. The consequences after the disease (long COVID or post-COVID conditions) continue to be the subject of studies and research, and affect social and economic life worldwide.
