Covaxin A 2-Dose Anti-Coronavirus Vaccine, Anil Vij Got Only 1st Dose: Union Health Ministry

Anil Vij had offered to be the first volunteer in the phase three trials for Covaxin, an indigenous potential vaccine against COVID-19 being developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

PTI

Dec 5, 2020 / 03:55 PM IST

File image of Haryana minister and BJP leader Anil Vij

Covaxin is a two-dose anti-coronavirus vaccine and Haryana Health minister Anil Vij, who had volunteered for its phase-three trial, was given only the first dose, the Union Health Ministry clarified on Saturday hours after the minister announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

Vij had offered to be the first volunteer in the phase three trials for Covaxin, an indigenous potential vaccine against COVID-19 being developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Also Read: Haryana Minister Anil Vij, Who Volunteered In Covaxin Trials, Says He Has Tested Positive For COVID-19

On Saturday, the Union health ministry said, "The antibodies against the infection build up in a human being only after a specific number of days pass after the second dose of the vaccine is taken. This is a two-dose vaccine. The minister in question has taken only one dose of the vaccine."

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COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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