Mixing doses of Covishield and Covaxin — the two main Covid-19 vaccines used in India — is not only safe but elicit better results, according to a new study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
“Overall, this study demonstrates that immunisation with a heterologous combination of an adenovirus vector platform-based vaccine followed by an inactivated whole virus vaccine is safe and elicits better immunogenicity than two doses of homologous vaccination, using the same vaccines,” the study, which is in pre-print stage, revealed.
Pre-print means the study has yet to be peer reviewed.
A total of 98 vaccine recipients — having completed two weeks or more after the second dose — were included in the study.
The participants were recruited in three cohorts: heterologous group (18 people, first dose Covishield, second dose Covaxin administered at an interval of six weeks), Covishield group (40 individuals, two doses given six weeks apart) and Covaxin group (40 individuals, two doses administered four weeks apart).
The findings suggested that immunisation with a combination of an adenovirus vector platform-based vaccine (Covishield) followed by an inactivated whole virus vaccine (Covaxin) was not only safe, but also elicited better immunogenicity.
The duration of the study was from May to June 2021. The study titled ‘Serendipitous Covid-19 Vaccine-Mix in Uttar Pradesh, India: Safety and Immunogenicity Assessment of a Heterologous Regime’ has been uploaded on medRxiv.org, a website distributing unpublished e-prints.
“Immunogenicity profile against Alpha, Beta and variants in heterologous group was superior,” according to the study.
“Overall, this study demonstrates that immunisation with a heterologous combination of an adenovirus vector platform-based vaccine followed by an inactivated whole virus vaccine is safe and elicits better immunogenicity than two doses of homologous vaccination, using the same vaccines,” the study, which is in pre-print stage, revealed.
Pre-print means the study has yet to be peer reviewed.
A total of 98 vaccine recipients — having completed two weeks or more after the second dose — were included in the study.
The participants were recruited in three cohorts: heterologous group (18 people, first dose Covishield, second dose Covaxin administered at an interval of six weeks), Covishield group (40 individuals, two doses given six weeks apart) and Covaxin group (40 individuals, two doses administered four weeks apart).
The findings suggested that immunisation with a combination of an adenovirus vector platform-based vaccine (Covishield) followed by an inactivated whole virus vaccine (Covaxin) was not only safe, but also elicited better immunogenicity.
The duration of the study was from May to June 2021. The study titled ‘Serendipitous Covid-19 Vaccine-Mix in Uttar Pradesh, India: Safety and Immunogenicity Assessment of a Heterologous Regime’ has been uploaded on medRxiv.org, a website distributing unpublished e-prints.
“Immunogenicity profile against Alpha, Beta and variants in heterologous group was superior,” according to the study.
Read More News on
Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.