COVID-19 – Challenges ahead of vaccination in immunocompromised patients

A novel strain of coronavirus -SARS-CoV-2 -was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, a city in China's Hubei province, after an outbreak of pneumonialike symptoms. The virus has now spread to over 200 countries and territories across the globe and was characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020. To date, there is no proven effective treatment for the COVID-19 with ongoing trials on anti-viral and immunosuppressive therapies. Due to the highly contagious nature of COVID-19, the most promising way to contain the infection is by the development of a vaccine. Scientists all over the world are working tirelessly to develop a vaccine with several trials already undergoing and reaching phase 2. If and once a safe and effective vaccine is available, essential evidence-based considerations will be needed for the high-risk immunocompromised population. In this short summary, we are interpreting the current literature pertaining to vaccinations in patients on immunosuppressive medications and suggest how to implement management strategies in these patients once a vaccine is available for COVID-19.