Covovax better booster for Covishield-vaccinated people: Dr Shahid Jameel, Virologist

By Sumit Blogs -

Of the vaccines against COVID-19 approved in India, Covovax would be a better booster for those who were administered Covishield jabs than another dose of the same vaccine, according to the data available presently, noted virologist Dr Shahid Jameel said. Jameel, the former head of the advisory group to the Indian SARS-COV-2 Genomics Consortia (INSACOG), said there is no data for the other combinations of vaccines as of now.

“Data available at this time suggests that of the vaccines approved in India, Covovax would be a better booster in Covishield-vaccinated people than another dose of Covishield,” he told PTI.

Officials have, however, said the “precaution dose” will be a third dose of the same vaccine that a person has taken.

Covovax has been developed by US-based vaccine maker Novavax Inc. that had announced a licence agreement with the Serum Institute of India (SII) for the development and commercialisation of NVX-CoV2373, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, in low and middle-income countries and in India.

The central drug authority, CDSCO, approved Covovax on Monday.

India is gearing up to tackle a possible third wave of the coronavirus pandemic as the Omicron variant of the virus, which is said to be much more infectious than the other strains of COVID-19, has surfaced.

The country has recorded 781 Omicron cases across 21 states and Union territories so far. Of the patients, 241 have either recovered or migrated, according to the Union health ministry.

In an interview to news portal “The Wire”, noted virologist Gagandeep Kang said there is presently no data in India regarding which vaccine should be used for the third dose.

However, she cited a UK study that gauged the immune response generated in individuals who have already received two doses of the AstraZeneca (Covishield) vaccine by either a booster dose of the same vaccine or one of the Novavax (known in India as Covovax) vaccine.

The study found that a third dose of Covishield increased the Geometric Mean Ratio (GMR) by 3.25, while a booster dose of Covovax increased the same by eight times and one of an mRNA vaccine did so by 24 times, she said.

Credits – Source – https://ift.tt/3Hj3syO

The post Covovax better booster for Covishield-vaccinated people: Dr Shahid Jameel, Virologist appeared first on Stay in Gurgaon.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flat sale of flu drugs hints at no unusual rise in infections

By Sumit Blogs -
Image
By Economic Times – Flat sale of flu drugs hints at no unusual rise in infections Industry executives and chemists said the April sales data showed a month-on-month decline of 30-40%. But even though the lockdown is seen to be impacting sales of most drugs, the pattern for medicines for infections and flus is no different.Last Updated: Apr 30, 2020, 11.23 AM ISTAgenciesExperts said the decline in sales was primarily because of the lockdown and other restrictions which forced people to stay indoors. (This story originally appeared in on Apr 30, 2020)NEW DELHI: Sales of anti-infectives (antibiotics and antivirals), respiratory drugs, painkillers and analgesics — some key medicines used for influenza-like illnesses — have remained mostly unchanged in last three months (January to March), partly explained by the lockdown but also indicating no unusual rise in flu-type infections that might point to a wider and undetected spread of Covid-19. Sales of most medicines, including this set of
Read more

10YearsForSimha: Reasons behind film’s success

By Sumit Blogs -
Image
By Times of India – 10YearsForSimha: Reasons behind film’s success TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Last updated on – Apr 30, 2020, 06:00 ISTclose01/6Take a look at the reasons behind the film’s successDirected by Boyapati Srinu, the 2010 film Simha was a game-changer among Tollywood films that was lauded, not only for Nandamuri Balakrishna’s intense performance in the dual role but also the gripping narration of the filmmaker. Balayya and Nayanthara were seen on the big screen for the first time ever in the film. The action drama made a special place in the hearts of the audience because of its simple storytelling, superhit songs and unbeatable chemistry between the lead pair. The movie has completed a decade, but the essence is as fresh as it was back then. As the film clocks 10 years of its release, find out the reasons behind the massive success of the Balakrishna starrer.readmore02/6​Boyapati Srinu’s gripping narrationBefore Simha, Boyapati Srinu had delivered Bhadra (2005) and Tulasi (2007),
Read more

Hrithik-Saif’s Vikram Vedha hits a roadblock

By Sumit Blogs -
Image
The stage was about to be set for Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan’s ‘Vikram Vedha’ in Mumbai’s Film City. The material had reached. The artisans had been hired. But the lights have now been dimmed. Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi’s hit movie Vikram Vedha’s Hindi remake will not go on floors by mid-July as per the original plan. The new delta virus of COVID has sent shudders down many spines and many films which were being laid out on an expansive scale have been either held back or shifted their shoots abroad. The first schedule of this Hrithik-Saif movie will now be shot abroad. A source says, “The Mumbai schedule will be done but later.” Adds the source, “It’s a call that was taken yesterday. It wasn’t an easy call to take, no doubt, but the fact that it’s going to be a costly set made the makers take the safer route rather than be sorry later.” When contacted, General Secretary of FWICE (Federation of Western India Cine Employees), Ashok Dubey, confirmed that the makers of ‘V
Read more