A study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has found that a single dose of Covaxin COVID19 vaccine generates the same immune response in the body if the recipient has been infected with COVID19 previously.
“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 stated.
It is reported that as a part of the study, blood samples were collected from 114 healthcare professionals and frontline workers who received Covaxin at vaccination centres in Chennai from February to May 2021.
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Meanwhile, the Indian vaccine manufactured by the Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech has not yet received the nod by the World Health Organization (WHO) for emergency use authorisation.
So far, only Iran, Philippines, Mauritius, Mexico, Nepal, Guyana, Paraguay and Zimbabwe have approved the Covaxin internationally.
The Union government however has maintained that it respects the decision by international and foreign bodies to not allow Covaxin vaccination but asserted it will have no impact whatsoever on India’s vaccination programme.
“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,” VK Paul, Member (Health) NITI Aayog had said on June 11.