A vaccine for cold is not yet available

Cold vaccines are tricky to make because there are so many viruses that can cause cold symptoms. Even though colds impact millions of people a year, they tend to go away on their own and don't typically cause serious issues in the majority of people infected.

Vaccines target specific bacterial or viral germs that cause various illnesses. One of the difficulties in making a vaccine for the common cold is that there are at least 200 different viruses that can cause cold symptoms(1).

Rhinoviruses are the viruses that cause most common colds. And, there are about 160 different types of this particular virus that can lead to cold symptoms (2).

Vaccines are typically somewhat specific, so one vaccine wouldn't be able to protect against all possible types of viruses that cause the common cold.

Another challenge with making a vaccine that protects from the common cold is that common viruses often mutate—this can mean that vaccines could be ineffective against new variants.

Millions of people around the world get the common cold. While it may be frustrating to have a cold, it rarely leads to serious issues. They tend to go away within seven to 10 days.

The common cold is a spontaneously remitting infection of the upper respiratory tract, characterised by a runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, cough, malaise, sore throat, and sometimes fever. The widespread morbidity caused by the common cold worldwide is related to its ubiquitousness rather than its severity. 

Vaccines are often made to protect people against illnesses that could cause serious damage or death. Vaccine research can take a lot of resources, such as time and money. With this said, resources tend to go towards more serious illnesses like COVID-19.

And the common cold is not dangerous to the majority of the people who get it. People with  lung issues, like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can have severe problems with colds.  People who have these lung conditions can have more severe symptoms when they develop a cold. And people who have immune problems, due to HIV infection or cancer treatment, for example, can develop a more severe illness when they get a cold.

A study that compiled past and present research on the development of a rhinovirus vaccine noted that: (3)

• It will be difficult to develop the vaccine because rhinovirus infects quickly and mutates, or changes quickly.
• In clinical trials that tested a cold vaccine with just one strain, results showed that it was not protective.
• In clinical trials that focused on a cold vaccine with 10 strains, results also found it to be ineffective.
• If a cold vaccine does get developed, it will likely need to provide broad protection against many strains of rhinovirus.

Despite these challenges, animal studies suggest that significant cross-serotype protection is possible.

So even though colds impact millions of people a year, they tend to go away on their own and don't typically cause serious issues in the majority of people infected. However, some people who have underlying medical conditions can get very sick due to the common cold, and research for vaccines and cold treatments is underway.

Studies found no conclusive results to support the use of vaccines for preventing the common cold in healthy people compared with placebo (4).

While a cold vaccine would be especially helpful for those with lung-related issues, research thus far has not found an effective way to create this particular vaccine.

Therefore,  the best thing you can do is take precautions to keep yourself safe and as healthy as possible.

Footnotes:'

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Common cold.

2. Lee WM, Lemanske RF, Evans MD, et al. Human rhinovirus species and season of infection determine illness .... Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2012;186(9):886-891. doi:10.1164/rccm.201202-0330OC  

3. McLean GR. Developing a vaccine for human rhinoviruses. J Vaccines Immun. 2014;2(3):16-20. doi:10.14312/2053-1273.2014-3

4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6481390/