A recent study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical and Research (ICMR) has found that Bharat Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin (BBV152) is effective against Delta Plus (AY.1) variant of the coronavirus, the study has been published in biorxiv.
“Here, we have evaluated the IgG antibody titer and neutralizing potential of sera of Covid-19 naive individuals full doses of BBV152 vaccine, Covid-19 recovered cases with full dose vaccines and breakthrough cases post-immunization BBV152 vaccines against Delta, Delta AY.1 and B.1.617.3.,” the study said.
The second wave in India has been led by the recent spike in the SARS-CoV-2 Variant B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant which has a high transmissibility rate.
Covaxin showed a 65.2 per cent safety against the Delta variant in a double-blind, randomized, multicentre, phase 3 clinical trial, this vaccine is a whole-virion inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine used for mass vaccination in the country.
COVAXIN effective against Delta Plus variant of COVID19, says Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study pic.twitter.com/8DxlqXixt5
— ANI (@ANI) August 2, 2021
Subsequently, the Delta variant has been found to be further mutating to Delta AY.1, AY.2, and AY.3 variant. Out of these, AY.1 variant that was first detected in India in April 2021 from 20 other countries as well, said the study.
However, the study is a pre-print and has not been peer-reviewed.
The study further showed 77.8 per cent effectiveness against symptomatic Covid-19 and 65.2 per cent protection against the B.1.617.2 Delta variant, meanwhile Bharat Biotech had said while concluding the final analysis of Covaxin efficacy from Phase3 trials on July 3.