A study by researchers from the National Institute of Virology in Pune, the Indian Council of Medical Research and vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech has found that Covaxin is effective against the Beta and Delta variants of Covid-19.
The Delta variant (B.1.617.2) was first found in India and is the dominant strain here. On the other hand, the Beta variant (B.1.351) was first discovered in South Africa.
The Delta variant is known to be highly infectious and a major cause behind the devastating second wave in India. However, there is no evidence yet to say that this variant causes more deaths or severe cases.
The study, which is pre-print and has not yet been peer-reviewed, is based on samples from 20 people who recovered from Covid-19 and 17 people who received their second dose of Covaxin at least 28 days prior to the study.
According to the study, Covaxin offered protection against both the variants concerned.
Among the authors of the study are ICMR chief Balram Bhargava and a member of Bharat Biotech.
A few days ago, reports of another pre-print study which stated that Serum Institute of India’s Covishield vaccine produced more antibodies than Covaxin had emerged. This study too has not been peer-reviewed yet. It was conducted by Coronavirus Vaccine-induced Antibody Titre and involved healthcare workers who have received both doses of either Covaxin or Covishield.
Source: https://www.msn.com/