Covaxin Effective Against Multiple Variants Including Double Mutant Coronavirus Variant: ICMR.

New Delhi- Indegenious coronavirus vaccine, Covaxin has the potential to neutralize multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2 like the UK, Brazil, and the much dreaded double variant of Maharashtra, divulged the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) today. 

"ICMR study shows Covaxin neutralizes against multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2 and effectively neutralizes the double mutant strain as well," the ICMR tweeted. 

The much-dreaded double mutant variant which has fuelled the second wave of the novel coronavirus in India can apparently be effectively countered by the made-in-India Covaxin, according to ICMR. 

A joint operation by ICMR, the National Institute of Virology (NIV), and vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech led to the birth of Covaxin. 

Recently after ICMR and NIV successfully managed to isolate and culture the double mutant variant of the virus found in India and several other countries, it issued a statement declaring the vaccine's ability to neutralize the variant. "Covaxin has been found to effectively neutralize the double mutant strain as well," it said.

Covaxin is considered to be an inactive vaccine as it is created by using killed coronaviruses, which when injected into the human body triggers a response prompting the body to identify the dead virus and produce antibodies. Therefore, the immune system is prepared to produce enough antibodies if it faces the threat of being infected by live coronavirus. 

The double mutant variant of the coronavirus which originated from India has been found in several other countries like New Zealand, the UK, the US, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Pakistan, which proved to be more lethal. 

Meanwhile, India as of Tuesday almost crossed the 3 lakh mark after recording 2,95,041 fresh new cases of the novel coronavirus, the highest one-day spike recorded in the country so far. The cases of COVID-19 induced fatalities recorded in the last 24 hours from across the country amounts to 2,023 taking the total tally of deaths to 1,82,601. The active caseloads now stand at 21,59,134 taking the total number of cases recorded as of today to more than 1.56 crores. Read more

Also read- COVID Update: India Almost Cross 3 Lakh Mark, Highest Single Day Spike Recorded

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