At a time when India is amidst the third wave of COVID-19, which is led by the Omicron variant, there is some good piece of news. A study conducted at Emory University has shown that booster dose of indigenously developed Covaxin is effective against Delta as well as Omicron – which has been declared ‘variant of concern’ by the World Health Organization. The best part is that 90 per cent of the test serum samples showed neutralization of the Omicron variant.
According to the study, serum samples of those who received a booster dose of Covaxin around six months after being inoculated with the primary two doses neutralized the Omicron and Deltra variants of the coronavirus. All the participants had received the initial two doses on Day 0 and Day 28.
COVAXIN® (BBV152) Booster Shown to Neutralize Both Omicron and Delta Variants of SARS-CoV-2#bbv152 #COVAXIN #BharatBiotech #COVID19Vaccine #omicron #deltavariant #SARS_CoV_2 #covaxinapproval #boosterdose #pandemic pic.twitter.com/0IgFmm13rS
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Suthar pointed out that Omicron is a dominant COVID-19 variant throughout the world and poses a serious public health concern.
Reacting to the study, Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Biotech said that data demonstrate the value of the vaccine as a primary and booster dose.
“We are in a continuous state of innovation and product development for Covaxin. The positive neutralization responses against the Omicron and Delta variants validate our hypothesis of a multi-epitope vaccine generating both humoral and cell mediated immune responses. Our goals of developing a global vaccine against COVID-19 have been achieved with the use of Covaxin as a universal vaccine for adults and children,” she said.