A double dose of Covid-19 vaccines is almost as effective against the fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus first identified in India as it is against Britain’s dominant strain, English health officials said on May 22.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sounded the alarm over the rapid spread of Covid-19 through India’s vast countryside on May 14, as 4,000 people died from the virus for the third straight day and total infections crossed 24 million.
As a massive Covid-19 surge continues to rage on throughout India, scientists and public health officials scramble to determine whether currently authorized vaccines in the country can provide a mitigation effect to this unprecedented spread. A new study published online has provided some hope, with researchers suggesting that the Covaxin vaccine – developed by Bharat Biotech and Pennsylvania-based Ocugen – could neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 variant leading the second wave in India.