NE HEALTH BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, JUNE 8
A pan India study to assess the antibody response after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine has found both the Covishield and Covaxin vaccines safe and efficient.
The pan India cross-sectional study was conducted to assess antibody response after receiving the first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. The study covered 515 healthcare workers and was conducted by Dr AK Singh from Kolkatta, Dr Sanjeev Phatak from Ahmedabad, Dr NK Singh from Dhanbad, Dr Arvind Gupta from Jaipur, and doctors from other cities.
The antibodies against spike proteins were measures at Neuberg Supratech Laboratory in Ahmedabad.
“We found good antibody response in 95 percent of the study participants 21 days after they received the second dose of the vaccine. The vaccines yielded very good seropositivity – it was 98 percent in Covishield recipients and 80 percent in Covaxin recipients,” said Dr Sanjeev Phatak.
“But, the Anti-Spike Antibody level is not the same as the Neutralizing Antibody titer, and hence, a higher level of Anti-Spike Antibody production cannot be taken as a higher percentage of protection delivered to the recipient,” he explained.
The study findings reiterate that both Covishield and Covaxin are safe, as none of the 515 healthcare workers who had received two doses of the vaccine reported any side effects.
The study also revealed that the breakthrough infection rate, i.e., the rate of getting a COVID-19 infection after receiving both doses of the vaccine, was 5.5% in the case of Covishield and 2.2% in Covaxin.
Vaccination is the only way to protect everyone from Coronavirus
“Both the vaccines were found to be not only safe but also effective in protecting the recipients from severe COVID-19. Until any further medical breakthrough, vaccination is the only way to protect everyone from Coronavirus, and that too only if everyone is vaccinated. The findings of the study are unequivocal – both Covishield and Covaxin are effective, and people should get vaccinated with whichever vaccine is available to them,” added Dr Phatak.
According to health ministry data, 23.04 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the country so far, including nearly 4.50 crore who have received both doses.
