Statistical Issues in COVID-19 Vaccine Trials: The Past and The Future

Speaker: Dean Follmann, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Abstract: COVID-19 vaccines were developed at an amazing pace which required fast decisions about statistical approaches to design and analysis. While very high efficacy was initially demonstrated for multiple vaccine platforms, the durability of vaccination and the effect against variants remain ongoing questions.  In this talk we provide an overview of the US government supported COVID-19 vaccine trials with an emphasis on emerging statistical  issues. Topics include the basic design of the trials, durability of vaccine efficacy, the effect of boosting, and the role of variants.