The
second wave of Covid-19 pandemic has reminded people the hard times faced
during the coronavirus outbreak in 2020 in India. However, there is still an
upper hand in 2021 in the fight against Covid-19, and this can be attributed to
the nationwide vaccination drive.
It
has been clear that getting vaccinated is one of the simple yet effective ways
to combat the pandemic. Vaccination helps in producing antibodies and boosts
the immune system to fight against any infection. Besides, getting Covid-19
vaccination is known to reduce the severity of the infection and helps in
lowering the chances of getting hospitalized due to the severe infection caused
due to Covid-19.
Covaxin Vs Covishield
Currently,
the Indian Government has approved two vaccines namely Covaxin and Covishield to
fight Covid-19. Many people are wondering which vaccine is better among the
two, and here is a quick read to help them answer all their queries.
Covaxin
Covaxin was given approval for by the Indian government for
emergency use in January 2020. This Covid-19 vaccine is manufactured in India by
Bharat Biotech in partnership with the Indian Council of Medical research
(ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology.
·
Working of Covaxin: The pharma company created
Covaxin using a sample of the Covid-19 virus isolated by the National Institute
of Virology. After the vaccination, the immune system starts producing
antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. According
to the company, the immunogenicity of the vaccine is further enhanced by adding
immune-potentiators, known as vaccine adjuvants.
·
Efficacy: Bharat Biotech conducted
an interim analysis on the basis of Phase III trial results and showed its
efficacy rate as 81%. The vaccine is also effective against the UK variant too.
Covishield
Covishield is one of the first two
vaccines approved by the Indian Government for emergency use. The vaccine is
developed by the University of Oxford in partnership with AstraZeneca.
Covishield is produced at the Serum Institute of India (SII) in Pune.
·
Working of Covishield: The formula to develop
Covishield is similar to Russia’s Sputnik V, which is a weakened of adenovirus,
a common cold virus from chimpanzees. The vaccine has been modified to look similar
to SARS CoV-2 but it cannot cause illness. After vaccination, Covishield
prompts the human immune system to produce antibodies against the live virus.
·
Efficacy: As per the phase III
trials in December 2020, the Covishield showed an efficacy of 70.4%, which is
based on the international clinical trial results conducted across Brazil and the
United Kingdom. It was seen that when people were given the second dose, the
efficacy of the vaccine reached up to 90%.
Comparison between Covaxin and
Covishield
|
Vaccine |
Developed/Manufactured by |
Type of Vaccine |
Gap b/w Doses |
Price for Citizens |
|
Covaxin |
Bharat Biotech in
collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) |
Inactivated virus |
2 injections with 28 days
gap |
Free at government centers. Rs 250 in private hospitals |
|
Covishield |
Oxford University vaccine
group in collaboration with AstraZeneca. Manufactured locally by the
Serum Institute of India (SII) |
Viral vector |
2 injections with 6 to 8
weeks gap |
Free at government centers. Rs 250 in private hospitals |
Which Countries are Adopting India's
Vaccines?
According
to outlookindia.com, India has shipped over 64
million doses of vaccines to 84 countries in Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the
Caribbean. The recipient countries include Canada, UK, Mexico, and Brazil.
Both
Covaxin and Covishield have been exported in various countries. India has given
these vaccines in some form of gifts, while others in line with commercial
agreements signed between the recipient nations and vaccine makers. Whereas
some vaccines are given under the Covax scheme led by the World
Health Organization (WHO). India is hoping to deliver more than 2 billion doses
to people to almost 190 countries in less than a year.
However,
in March 2021, India placed a temporary hold on all exports of the
Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine due to rising cases of Covid-19 in the country,
which increased the demand for vaccines for own rollout.
Covaxin or Covishield: Which Is
Better?
Currently,
there is no head-to-head comparison data available for both the vaccines in
India. Both Covaxin and Covishield work fine in preventing and lowering the
risk of getting a serious infection. For now, the key aim of India is to
prevent death in elderly people and those with comorbid conditions such as
respiratory disease, diabetes, heart disease, and other diseases.
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