Covaxin neutralises against multiple COVID variants including double-mutant strain, says ICMR
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New Delhi, April 21: In the positive development, the Indian Council of Medical Research said that their study has shown that the made-in-India COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin is an effective vaccine against multiple variants of the Covid-causing SARS-CoV-2 virus, including the double mutant strain found in India,
As per the tweet, the ICMR-National Institute of Virology has successfully isolated and cultured multiple variants of concern of SARS-CoV-2 virus: B.1.1.7 (the UK variant), B.1.1.28 (Brazil variant ), and B.1.351 (South Africa variant). According to the ICMR, these variants are identified in certain regions of India and several other countries, Many experts believe that it has fuelled the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic in India. The B.1.617 is a recently spreading double mutant variant of COVID-19. It carries the mutations of E484Q and also the mutations of L452R.
The Pune-based NIV has said that they have also demonstrated the neutralisation potential of Covaxin against the UK variant and Brazil variant.
Earlier, the study, published in the Journal for Travel Medicine in March, also had highlighted that Covaxin is effective against the UK variants as well as other strains of Covid-19. “It was reassuring from the PRNT50 data generated in our laboratory that the indigenous BBV152/ COVAXIN, following its rollout in the vaccination program, could be expected to work against the new UK-variant,” the study said.
The COVAXIN Vaccine is produced by Bharat Biotech placed in Hyderabad along with the Indian Council of Medical Research. Bharat Biotech's Covaxin has received Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for COVID-19 treatment in India and several countries across the world with another 60 in the process.
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