Covaxin booster improves efficacy in opposition to Delta, Omicron variants: ICMR examine

By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A booster dose of Covaxin enhances vaccine effectiveness in opposition to the Delta variant and offers safety in opposition to Omicron variants BA.1.1 and BA.2, a examine by ICMR and Bharat Biotech mentioned. 

The protecting efficacy of Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin following two and three-dose immunisations in opposition to the Delta variant and the efficacy of the Covaxin in opposition to Omicron variants have been studied in a Syrian hamster mannequin (animal mannequin to check human-associated ailments), the examine mentioned.

The findings of the examine have been printed on June 14 on bioRxiv, a pre-print server and haven’t been peer reviewed.

The anti-Covid vaccine Covaxin is one in every of two anti-Covid vaccinations used within the nationwide coronavirus immunisation programme, which started in January 2021.

The antibody response, medical observations, viral load discount and lung illness severity after virus problem have been noticed, mentioned the examine carried out by the Indian Council of Medical Research – National Institute of Virology, Pune and the pharma firm.

“In the Delta infection study, where we compared the protective response between the two and three-dose regimens, we could observe the advantage of the booster dose vaccination in the protection. Although the neutralising antibody levels were comparable among the groups, lung disease severity was found more reduced after the three-dose vaccination,” mentioned Dr Pragya Yadav, one of many authors of the examine, who was not too long ago awarded for her contribution to creating vaccines in opposition to Covid-19 in India.

“The virus shedding and viral organ load were considerably reduced in both the two dose and three-dose immunised animals indicating the vaccine efficacy against Delta variant,” the examine added.

In the second examine by which the protecting response was assessed in opposition to Omicron variants — BA.1 and BA.2, following three-dose vaccinations, lesser virus shedding, lung viral load and lung illness severity have been noticed within the immunised teams compared to the placebo teams.

“The evidence from the present study shows that Covaxin booster immunisation tends to broaden the protective immune response and reduces disease severity against the Delta and Omicron variant infection,” it added.