Booster injection improves effectiveness against COVID-19 Delta and Omicron variants

The study examined Covaxin’s protective efficacy against the Delta variation after the second and third dose vaccinations, as well as Covaxin’s efficacy against Omicron variants in a ‘Syrian hamster model.’

“After virus challenge, the antibody response, clinical observations, viral load decrease, and lung disease severity were investigated.” According to the research, “the protective response in terms of decrease in lung viral load and lung lesions was evident in both the second and third doses of Covaxin vaccinated group when compared to placebo group following the Delta variant challenge.”

“Despite the comparable neutralising antibody response against the homologous vaccine strain in both the second dose and third dose immunised groups, significant reduction in lung disease severity was observed in the third dose immunised group post-Delta variant challenge, indicating the involvement of cell-mediated immune response also in protection,” the study continued.

“In the vaccine effectiveness study against the Omicron variants BA.1 and BA.2, the inoculated groups had lower virus shedding, lung viral load, and lung disease severity than the placebo groups. The current study demonstrates that administering a COVAXIN booster dosage improves vaccination efficacy against Delta variant infection and provides protection against Omicron variants BA.1.1 and BA.2 “It was finished.

The Covaxin vaccine, produced by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in collaboration with Bharat BiotechInternational Limited (BBIL), shows an interim effectiveness of 81% in preventing Covid-19.

Covaxin is the first COVID-19 vaccine produced entirely in India. India began its countrywide immunisation campaign on January 16, 2021.