As we enter the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, expedited and ongoing authorisations of new COVID-19 vaccines have posed unique challenges to national regulatory authorities around the world, as well as demonstrated unprecedented regulatory cooperation and regulatory agility through the application of Emergency Use Authorizations and other similar temporary registration routes. While the unparalleled speed of vaccine development and authorisations is raising hopes for bringing the pandemic under control, governments, non-governmental organisations (NGO) and the World Health Organization are channeling significant efforts to secure sufficient supplies for all populations, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Amidst the ongoing loss of life and overwhelmed healthcare and economic systems, policy makers are faced with the challenges of prioritising and allocating supplies to the most vulnerable populations while strengthening vaccine confidence in different regions and cultural settings.
