Covaxin, India’s homegrown Covid vaccine produced by Bharat Biotech, has been found to neutralise the B.1.617 variant or the Indian double mutant strain, White House Chief Medical Adviser Anthony Fauci said on Tuesday.
“This is something where we’re still gaining data on a daily basis. But the most recent data, was looking at convalescent Sera of COVID-19 cases and people who received the vaccine used in India, the Covaxin. It was found to neutralise the 617 variants. So, despite the real difficulty that we’re seeing in India, vaccination could be a very, very important antidote against this,” he said.
Developed by Bharat Biotech in partnership with National Institute of Virology and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Covaxin was approved for emergency use on January 3. Trial results later showed the vaccine has an efficacy of 78%.
The New York Times on Tuesday said Covaxin works by teaching the immune system to make antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. When Covaxin is administered, immune cells recognise the dead virus, prompting the immune system to make antibodies to fight the coronavirus.
WHO on Tuesday said the B.1.617, a variant of COVID-19 feared to be contributing to a surge in coronavirus cases in India, has been found in over a dozen countries.
India’s Covid cases smashed a new record today with 3.6 lakh cases and over 3,000 deaths in 24 hours.
