India's COVAXIN offers protection against UK variant of coronavirus: Study
- IBEF
- January 28, 2021
A study claims that the vaccine COVAXIN, developed by Bharat Biotech along with the National Institute of Virology is likely to work against the UK variant of the virus.
The study carried on 26 participants which posited that it offers protection from the UK strain of coronavirus. After receiving an emergency-use authorisation earlier in January, COVAXIN is being used across India.
The scientists from the company wrote that the Sera from the vaccine recipients could neutralise the UK-variant strains discounting the uncertainty around potential escape.
Bharat Biotech will be collaborating with Indian Council of Medical Research’s NIV.
The scientist also wrote that it is unlikely that the mutation 501Y would be able to dampen the potential benefits of the vaccine in concern.
Earlier, Pfizer and BioNTech quoted that its vaccine is also likely to protect against the UK Strain.
The UK variant has spread across the globe, with 150 cases in India. The UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently claimed that the new variant is more transmissible and more fatal.
India’s drug regulator claims that COVAXIN can act against the whole body of a virus, instead of its spike-protein tip, making it more effective against mutations.
India started its vaccination drive on Jan 16, and has so far inoculated 2 million people, especially frontline workers including nurses and doctors. The country has also approved the jab developed by Oxford University-AstraZeneca.
Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.
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