COVID-19 Variant Struggle Against Vaccines

Coronavirus dominant B.1.617.2 variant concerning India with high transmissible rate amidst a severe shortage of vaccines is a threat to public health control in pandemic. According to provisional data from the Health Ministry, only around 3 per cent of India’s total population have received two doses of any Covid-19 vaccine and 1 per cent of people received at least one dose since the start of immunization programme.

On January 4 this year, V.K. Paul, NITI Aayog member and head of India’s vaccine administration group, said the country “had a sufficient stockpile of vaccines to inoculate priority groups such as healthcare workers and frontline workers in the first phase,” to quote from The Wire Science‘s report.

Even the preliminary data from Public Health England (PHE) of the UK Department of Health and Social Care’s executive agency discovers that two doses of these vaccines provided 81 per cent protection against the B.1.617.2 variant and 87 per cent protection against the B.1.1.7 variant.

In this scenario, the Indian government extends the interval between the first and second doses of Covishield by 12-16 weeks based on UK evidence. whereas in UK the interval between doses reduced to eight weeks to ensure full protection for priority and vulnerable groups in the country.

India’s rough ride through its second COVID-19 outbreak needs vaccine imported from abroad to lighten the pandemic burden.

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Source-Medindia