New scientific evidence from India suggests that when Covishield is given as a third dose to those who have already received two doses of Covaxin, antibodies increase sixfold. However, if Covaxin is administered as a booster to those with two doses of Covishield, the increase in antibodies is less significant.
The preliminary results on mixing vaccines were submitted by Christian Medical College, Vellore, to the Drugs Controller General of India on Wednesday. This marks the first scientific evidence from India on mixing vaccines for the booster dose. Currently, the third dose being given to those above 60 years is the same as the previous two shots.
Critical data on neutralizing antibodies and T-cell response seen in mixing Covishield and Covaxin will be submitted in a week. The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) is expected to make a decision on administering a different vaccine as the third dose based on the final data.
India is also studying the effect of mixing Biological-E’s, Bharat Biotech’s intranasal vaccine, and Serum Institute of India’s Covavax. The data from these studies will be crucial as the scientific bodies consider expanding the precautionary dose to those under 60 years.
Vaccination for the 12-14 age group began on Wednesday, with 3,23,708 doses of Corbevax administered to beneficiaries in this age group. The total vaccination figure in the country has reached 180.68 crore.
With a new surge in cases reported in several countries, including China, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya chaired a high-level meeting with members of the Covid-19 task force on Wednesday. The authorities were directed to maintain high alert and conduct aggressive genome sequencing of samples to detect possible new variants. Additionally, Mandaviya asked authorities to intensify surveillance for early identification of hotspots.
The meeting was attended by Dr. V K Paul, who heads the task force, AIIMS Director Dr. Randeep Guleria, ICMR Chief Dr. Balram Bhargava, Principal Scientific Advisor K Vijay Raghavan, and Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan.
On Wednesday, India reported 2,876 new cases, while the active caseload is down to 32,811.
