COVAXIN - A LIGHT OF HOPE AFTER DARK
IN THIS BLOG I AM GOING TO DISCUSS ABOUT BHARAT BIOTECH'S COVID -19 VACCINE "COVAXIN"..
THIS BLOG CONTAINS ALL DETAILS ABOUT 'COVAXIN' VACCINE..
FIRSTLY WE SHOULD KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT COVID -19
COVID-19
COVID -19 is an infectious disease caused by newly discovered coronavirus .
Most people who fall sick with COVID-19 will experience mild to moderate symptoms and recover without special treatment...
"COVAXIN"
COVAXIN is the India's first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine..
This vaccine was manufactured by an Indian biotechnology company named BHARAT BIOTECH in collaboration with ICMR (Indian Council Of Medical Research).
Bharat Biotech is one of the leading manufacturer of vaccines and a leading biotech company.
After a long struggle in search of solution for preventing the spread of corona virus , a purely indigenous vaccine "COVAXIN" was approved in India for the vaccination program.
LET US KNOW SOME BASIC THINGS ABOUT "COVAXIN"
The inactivated vaccine are generally considered to be safe because they do not replicate and are therefore unlikely to revert and cause pathological effect..
INGREDIENTS :-
6 micro gram of whole virion inactivated SARS-CoV -2 antigen (strain - NV-2020-770)
INACTIVE INGREDIENTS -
Aluminum hydroxide gel (250 micro gram)
Imidazoquinolinone (15 micro gram)
2-phenoxy ethanol (2.5 mg)
Phosphated buffer saline upto 0.5 ml
CLINICAL RESEARCH :-
PHASE (I) AND PHASE (II) TRIALS :-
In June 2020 the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) permitted the indigenous COVID-19 vaccine "COVAXIN" for phase I and phase II trials.
In total there were total 12 sites were selected for phase I and phase II trials.
The phase I and phase II study includes randomise , double-blind and placebo study on vaccine candidate..
The dosing regimen in phase I and phase II trials are different.
In phase I trials there is 2 weeks gap between the 1st and the 2nd dose. But in phase II trials there is 4 weeks gap between the 1st and the 2nd dose..
The later study shows that phase II trials had high immune response and T cell response than the phase II trials due to the difference in their dosing regimen..
PHASE(III) TRIALS:-
In march 2021 the efficacy rate for phase III trial is 81 percent.
EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION :-
Bharat biotech applied for EUC to DCGI for getting the permission for starting the emergency use of the vaccine..
On 2nd January 2021 Central Drug Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) recommended the permission and on 3rd January the permission was granted..
The vaccine EUC was granted before outcome of phase III data , and this became the point of criticism in some sections of media.
HOW DOES IT WORKS:-
This vaccine contains the inactivated corona viruses which are injected inside the body through intramuscular route , this does not cause COVID -19 as the viruses are inactivated . So some of the inactivated viruses are swallowed by an immune cell known as antigen-presenting cell.
The antigen presenting cell tears the corona virus and display some of its fragments on its surface A so called helper T cell may detect the fragment. If the fragment fits into one of its surface protein , the T cell becomes activated and can help recruit other immune cells to respond to the vaccine.
DOSING:-
The dosing regimen of COVAXIN between the first dose and the second dose is of 4 weeks.
WHY TWO DOSES ARE REQUIRED ?
WHO SHOULD NOT TAKE "COVAXIN":-
