Covaxin Effectiveness: Study Says India's Vaccine Likely Effective Against UK COVID-19 Variant

Covaxin Effectiveness: The coronavirus vaccination Covaxin developed by India's Bharat Biotech is likely to be effective against UK coronavirus variant, a study shows. The vaccine is developed in partnership with the Indian Council of Medical Research and National Institute of Virology. 

The Covaxin is currently used in India after receiving emergency-use authorisation. Meanwhile, the latest study on the vaccine was conducted on 26 participants. "Sera from the vaccine recipients could neutralise the UK-variant strains discounting the uncertainty around potential escape," the scientists from the company and the research institute said. Further, they added, "It is unlikely that the mutation 501Y (the UK variant) would be able to dampen the potential benefits of the vaccine in concern."

According to another study, a vaccine developed by US company Pfizer Inc and its German partner, BioNTech also seems to work against the dangerous variant. The mutation that has now spread to various countries resulted in 150 cases in India.

Covaxin Effectiveness

This vaccination against corona has been extensively used in the massive immunisation drive in our country that started on January 16. It has covered more than two million people in the first phase including sanitation workers, nurses and doctors.

The vaccine apparently has the ability to act against the whole body of a virus instead of just its “spike-protein” tip. The manufactured said that this could be the potential reason why it is effective in case of mutations.

Bharat Biotech has also requested for emergency-use authorisation for Covaxin in the Philippines as well as Brazil. 

The other vaccine used in India is the Serum Institute of India's Covishield.