Covaxin can protect against Omicron if…: Vaccine data from ICMR, Bharat Biotech

Experts reported that the emergence of Omicron raised concerns about immune escape from vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies, leading to increased transmission efficiency and breakthrough and re-infection. In addition, “reports of lack of antibody responses against emerging variants (VOCs) of the virus to other approved vaccines have raised concerns globally,” said Dr Pragya Yadav, senior scientist at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune. told the agency. PTI.

Speaking about the benefit of the third dose, Dr Gajanan Sakpal, another senior scientist at NIV, said, “The antibody response was higher for participants administered with booster doses for B.1 and VOCs – delta, beta and omicron variants. . “

This indicates that the booster dose of Covaxin strongly triggered neutralizing antibody responses and efficiently neutralized multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2, Sakpal said.

For the study, published in the Journal of Travel Medicine, 51 participants who received two doses of Covaxin did so six months after the second dose and 28 days after receiving the third (booster) dose (given on the 215th day of the second dose). collected. And its effect against Omicron VOCs was evaluated.

“We concluded that neutralizing antibody responses after the third dose of BBV152/Covaxin against homozygous B.1 (19.11-fold) and other heterozygous strains (16.51-fold), Beta (14.70-fold) and Omicron (18.53-fold) VOCs were significantly increased, providing assurance of a protective immune response to the booster in recipients,” the study said.

“The data emphasize the need to speed up booster doses to individuals to deal with emerging VOCs and its consequences to protect against mortality, severity and hospitalization burden,” it said.