Synthetic MVA-based vaccine compositions for preventing or treating a
virus infection such as a
coronavirus infection and methods of producing the vaccines. The vaccine compositions include (i) either a single
DNA fragment that includes the entire
genome of MVA, or two or more
DNA fragments, each including a partial sequence of the
genome of the MVA such that the two or more
DNA fragments, when expressed in the host
cell upon co-
transfection, are assembled sequentially and comprise the full-length sequence of the MVA
genome, and (ii) one or more DNA sequences encoding one or more
human coronavirus antigens, subunits, or fragments thereof inserted in one or more
insertion sites of the MVA. The antigens, subunits, or fragments thereof are expressed in the host
cell upon
transfection of the one or more DNA fragments.