Zimbabwe on March 29, received a batch of 35 000 Covaxin Covid-19 vaccines, which are part of the 75 000 doses donated by India.
Covaxin joins two other Chinese vaccines – Sinopharm and Sinovac – in the country’s ongoing inoculation programme currently targeting front line workers.
Below we give some facts about Covaxin:
What is Covaxin?
· Covaxin is an Indian Covid-19 vaccine produced by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology.
· It is one of the vaccines being administered in that country and other parts of the world.
· Covaxin is made of an inactivated vaccine, meaning the vaccine is made up of the virus that has been killed and can no longer cause infection.
How does Covaxin work?
· When Covaxin is injected into the body, immune cells can still recognise the virus, even though it is inactivated, which is what triggers an immune response.
· From what has been seen, Covaxin is capable of heightening antibody response for up to several weeks after initial vaccination, which may mean that it can give out better immuno-response.
· Two doses of the Covaxin are given four weeks apart.
· The vaccine can be stored at 2C to 8C.
Efficacy and safety of Covaxin
· According to a recently published report in a Lancet study, Covaxin is safe for use and offers a higher efficacy rate than what was previously seen.
· The findings from a survey of 25,800 volunteers, who did not have prior experience of Covid-19 and were given two-dose jabs show that the vaccine carries an efficacy rate as high as 81%.
· The 81% efficacy rate is in line with many other vaccines currently in use.
· Covaxin, a traditional vaccine, has been observed to have lower odds of causing disturbing or serious side-effects.