Article Preview
1. Introduction
Bibliometric analysis is a popular and rigorous method for exploring and analyzing large volumes of scientific data (Donthu et al. 2021). The use of bibliometrics is gradually extending to all disciplines and is particularly suitable for science mapping at a time when the emphasis on empirical contributions is producing voluminous, fragmented, and controversial research streams (Aria & Cuccurullo, 2017; Srivastava et al. 2021; Varsha et al. 2021; Veiga et al. 2021). This is particularly the case of current research on the COVID-19 pandemic, the most disruptive event in the world’s recent history. Worldwide research on this topic has led to an explosion in the number and diversity of publications in a very short period and at a high pace since 2019. In this context, a bibliometric review and analysis of data from a reliable database harboring COVID-19 publications can provide a quick, comprehensive synthesis of relevant information on the related scientific orientations, gaps, collaborations, themes, or dynamisms (Aristovnik et al. 2020; Chahrour et al. 2020; Dehghanbanadaki et al. 2020; Fassin 2021; Hamidah et al. 2020; El Mohadab et al. 2020).
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative virus for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ongoing pandemic. As of 4th August 2021, more than 199M infection cases and over 4M deaths have been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide (World Health Organization., 2021). The ground strategy followed by most countries worldwide to reduce the disease's transmissibility includes non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) strategies such as enforcing masks policy, hands sanitization, social distancing, travel restrictions, schools’ closures, and partial or complete lockdowns (Nicola et al. 2020). However, even if NPIs were able to slow down the progression of the disease, the devastating worldwide impacts of the pandemic have urged the international scientific community to find answers in terms of therapeutics and vaccines to control SARS-CoV-2 (El-Elimat et al. 2020).
There is no cure yet for COVID-19. Only one treatment based on a drug called remdesivir has been approved by the F.D.A (US Food and Drug Administration), and research suggests it may provide only alleviate the pains of patients (Katherine J. Wu et al. 2021). Regarding COVID-19 vaccines, there are currently 138 vaccine candidates, with only seven vaccines approved by WHO (Tracker, 2021). They include Moderna mRNA1273 (approved in 65 countries, 23 trials in 1 country); Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 (approved in 97 countries, 32 trials in 2 countries); Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) Ad26.COV2.S (approved in 59 countries, 11 trials in 2 countries); Oxford/AstraZeneca AZD1222 (approved in 120 countries, 35 trials in 3 countries); Serum Institute of India Covshield - Oxford/AstraZeneca formulation (approved in 45 countries, two trials in 1 country); Sinopharm (Beijing) BBiBP-CorV (approved in 59 countries, nine trials in 1 country); and Sinovac Coronavac (approved in 39 countries, 17 trials in 2 countries). From development to real-life usage, COVID-19 vaccines generally move through 4 big steps (European Medicine Agency, 2021), namely vaccine development (pharmaceutical quality, non-clinical and clinical trials), scientific evaluation and approval (by authority such as EMA in Europe or FDA in US), commercial manufacturing (after approval for scaling up production), and monitoring vaccine safety and use in real life. As stated by WHO (WHO, 2021): “it’s not vaccines that will stop the pandemic, it’s vaccination. We must ensure fair and equitable access to vaccines, and ensure every country receives them and can roll them out to protect their people, starting with the most vulnerable”. Beyond vaccine development issues, many other challenges, including those related to distribution and adoption, are studied in the literature.