Covaxin Found to Neutralise the B.1.617 Indian COVID-19 Variant
According to Anthony Fauci, White House Chief Medical Adviser, Covaxin has been found to neutralise the B.1.617 Indian Covid-19 variant. Bharat Biotech,developed Covaxin, in partnership with National Institute of Virology and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The indigenously developed novel coronavirus vaccine Covaxin gained emergency use approval on January 3, despite being in the clinical trial phase.
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In a recent press briefing, Anthony Fauci stated that data regarding the same is being received on a daily basis. However, most of the recent data emphasized the convalescent sera of Covid-19 cases in people who received Covaxin in India. It was found that Covaxin neutralises the 617 variant.
Dr. Fauci reportedly stated that irrespective of the real difficulty that we're seeing in India, vaccination could be a very, very important antidote against this. Moreover, he added that everyone should know that it is very important to get vaccinated.
As per ICMR, trial results later showed that Covaxin has an efficacy of 78%.
It must be noted that the B.1.617 variant, mostly found in Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra and Delhi, has three new spike protein mutations. The B.1.617 variant is said to be contributing to the second surge in Covid across the country and WHO agrees with the same.
According to the United Nations health agency, the B.1.617 variant of Covid-19, first found in India has been detected in cases from over at least 17 countries. Where most are in India, the United Kingdom, USA and Singapore.
This comes as the number of active cases in India crosses 3 million mark for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
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Disclaimer: This article is issued in the general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. Readers are advised not to rely on the contents of the article as conclusive in nature and should research further or consult an expert in this regard.
