Form of words:
New Delhi: Little is known about the behavior of the Omicron type of SARS-CoV-2 virus, but it is possible that as a complete virion (a complete virus particle) vaccine, Covaxin may have a better chance of being effective against could. , the more targeted ones, a senior ICMR official has said.
Omicron, the latest version of the virus first found in South Africa, is believed to be its most mutated form ever.
“What we are saying right now about vaccines and the new version is just speculation. We are assuming a lot about the structure function relationship of viruses and vaccines. But it is a plausible conjecture to say that the immunity given by Covaxin may be less likely to survive the virus than other targeted vaccines, where the focus is primarily on the spike protein,” said Dr Samiran Panda, Epidemiology and head of infectious diseases, ICMR told ThePrint.
mRNA vaccines, such as Pfizer and Moderna, are designed to produce a transcription of a portion of the spike protein inside the cell with a code contained in the mRNA fragment. Thus the body learns to identify the virus using that part of itself. However, the oomicron contains about 50 mutations, many of them on the spike protein and its receptor binding domain (RBD).
“There were two mutations in the delta version of RDD and here are 10. How well the lock and key mechanism works with other vaccines is a question if the structure of the domains changes. In Covaxin’s case it is Bruce Lee’s attack.” When targeting three different and potentially lethal sites at the same time,” Panda said.
However, he acknowledged that mRNA vaccines have the advantage that they can be changed very quickly to suit the variants. AstraZeneca vaccine also manufactured in India by Serum Institute of India as Covishield Uses genetic instructions To manufacture the virus’s spike protein to introduce the body to the SARS-CoV-2 antigen.
Read also: The omicron variant may have emerged from an AIDS patient with long-term covid, scientists suspect.
‘appears to be more permeable’
The World Health Organization says it is not yet clear whether Omicron is more transmissible. However, Panda said that given the rapid increase in the number of cases in South Africa, it appears to be more transmissible.
“You have to understand that all our vaccines are disease modifying and not disease preventing. I have been talking to my colleagues in South Africa and what we have come to know is that the disease is mild even in people infected with Omicron. However, given how fast the cases have risen in South Africa, it seems we are dealing with a more infectious form,” he said.
Another senior government official, who is also a member of the National Expert Group on Vaccines against Covid-19 (NEGVAC), told ThePrint that “it is possible” that Covaxin, being a complete virion vaccine, will be available with this latest version. against would work better. “Wait for the full characterization of Omicron. We need to be sure in the laboratory as well,” he said.
Covaxin was approved for the variant
In January this year, when Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin was first approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), efficacy data for it was not available. However, one of the considerations that influenced the decision was the hope that as a whole virion vaccine, it would work better against emerging forms.
“We know that mutations have occurred in the virus, including the spike protein. Pfizer has said that it will take six weeks for them to make changes to the vaccine. But because covaxins are basically whole viruses killed, it is more likely to work against mutant strains as well. Simply put, if a vaccine has 1,000 points, two of which have mutated, it is still going to have 998 points to produce a response in this (vaccine), unlike others such as mRNA vaccines, which are specific. target areas and may not work as well when those areas are mutated.” Dr. Balram Bhargava, the Director General of ICMR had said then.
(Edited by Saikat Niyogi)
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