A study published in the prestigious medical journal Lancet found that the Serum Institute’s Covishield vaccine proved effective in the height of the second wave, largely driven by the delta variant.
A multi-institutional team of Indian researchers evaluated the effectiveness of Covishield’s real-world vaccine during the coronavirus boom between April and May this year, when India was gasping for breath.
They assessed neutralizing activity and cellular immune responses against the variants in healthy vaccinated individuals to understand the mechanism of protection.
The study found that the vaccine’s effectiveness against COVID infection was 63% in fully vaccinated individuals. More importantly, the efficacy against moderate to severe disease was 81% higher.
The scientists also observed that spike-specific T-cell responses were preserved against both delta-type and wild-type viruses.
“Such cellular immune protection can compensate for weakened immunity against virus variants and prevent moderate to severe disease and the need for hospitalization. This study focuses on real-world vaccine effectiveness and immunological response to vaccination.” provides comprehensive data that should help guide policy,” the study noted.
According to WHO figures, the coronavirus has affected more than 200 million people, causing over 5 million deaths worldwide. The increase in mutant forms has led to concerns about the vaccine’s effectiveness.
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