Covishield and Covaxin, which trigger an immune response against Covid-19, appear to generate only half as many antibodies against the B.1.617 strain which was first detected in Maharashtra, according to early reports from scientists at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Several scientists said that this drop didn’t diminish the fact that the vaccines are life-saving and are a potent tool against Covid-19.
The two vaccines- Covaxin and Covishield- being administered in India, were designed on the blueprint of the virus variant, called B1, that was the dominant strain in India by last April. Scientists at the ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune tested samples of the virus with B.1.617 mutations, on antibodies that were extracted from the blood serum of those with two doses of Covaxin, they found roughly 55% lesser antibodies than the antibodies generated against B.1. In case of Covishield, the antibody levels for B.1.617 it was 21.9 percent while it was 42.92 percent for the B.1 variant, again roughly half.