A single dose of COVID19 vaccine Covaxin produces the same immune response in the body if the recipient was previously infected with COVID19, according to an ICMR study.
As a part of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study, blood samples were collected from a total of 114 healthcare professionals and frontline workers, who received Covaxin vaccine at vaccination centres in Chennai.
The study was conducted from February-May 2021.
Covaxin, the Indian vaccine for Covid19, is manufactured by the Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech.
However, the vaccine is yet to receive the nod by the World Health Organization (WHO) for emergency use authorisation.
So far, Covaxin has received approval for use only in Iran, Philippines, Mauritius, Mexico, Nepal, Guyana, Paraguay and Zimbabwe.
“Overall, good vaccine-induced antibody responses were seen in prior SARS-CoV-2–infected individuals, except in two, who received a single dose of BBV152 vaccine that was similar to antibody responses seen after a two-dose vaccination course administered to infection-naive individuals,” the study said.
The Indian government has maintained that it respects the decision of the international and foreign bodies to not allow Covaxin vaccination but asserted that it would have no impact whatsoever on India’s vaccination programme.
VK Paul, member (Health) NITI Aayog on June 11 said, “Each country has its own regulatory system. Some parameters might be common while some might be different which we respect. Our country’s regulatory system also takes decisions in a similar manner,”