Covovax has become the 4th Covid-19 vaccine to be approved in India for children above 12 years. Here is all you need to know about the Serum Institute manufactured vaccine.
- It is a 2-dose protein-based Covid-19 vaccine developed by Novavax in the US
- In August 2021, Novavax had given SII the licence to manufacture and supply the vaccine
- The WHO has already cleared it and it has an Emergency Use Authorization
- India approved Covovax for use in adults in December last year
- First protein-based vaccine approved for use in 12-17 years age group in India
- Covovax has reported an efficacy of 80% in 2,247 children aged 12-17 years
- Covovax targets the spike protein on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus
- Once a person is given a shot of this vaccine, the body is expected to recognise these copies of the spike proteins as a foreign substance and build immunity against them.
- Different from Covishield which uses a separate virus to carry the weakened spike protein to trigger an immunity response
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