AU The:global Pleaseco response nfirmthata tollhe Coronavirus adinglevelsa Disease rerepres 2019 entedcor (COVID-19) rectly: is now facing new challenges such as vaccine inequity and the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern
(VOCs). Preclinical models of disease, in particular animal models, are essential to investigate VOC pathogenesis, vaccine correlates of protection and postexposure therapies.
Here, we provide an update from the World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 modeling expert group (WHO-COM) assembled by WHO, regarding advances in preclinical models. In particular, we discuss how animal model research is playing a key role to evaluate
VOC virulence, transmission and immune escape, and how animal models are being refined
to recapitulate COVID-19 demographic variables such as comorbidities and age.The authors received no specific funding for this work.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
