Corbevax approved as booster dose for adults jabbed with Covishield, Covaxin

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New
Delhi,
Aug
10:
The
government
has
approved
Biological
E’s
Corbevax
as
a
precaution
dose
for
those
above
18
years
fully
vaccinated
with
either
Covishield
or
Covaxin,
official
sources
said
on
Wednesday.

This
is
for
the
first
time
that
a
booster
dose
that
is
different
from
the
one
used
for
primary
vaccination
against
Covid
has
been
allowed
in
the
country.
The
sources
told
PTI
that
the
Union
Health
Ministry’s
approval
is
based
on
the
recommendations
made
recently
by
the
COVID-19
Working
Group
of
the
National
Technical
Advisory
Group
on
Immunisation
(NTAGI).

”Corbevax
will
be
considered
as
a
precaution
dose
after
completion
of
six
months
or
26
weeks
from
the
date
of
administration
of
the
second
dose
of
either
Covaxin
or
Covishield
vaccines
for
those
aged
above
18
years
enabling
use
of
Corbevax
as
a
heterologous
COVID-19
vaccine
for
precaution
dose
administration
in
this
age
group,” the
sources
said.

Covid
spike:
SII
urges
Centre
to
use
10
cr
Covishield
doses
offered
free
of
cost
by
GAVI

This
will
be
in
addition
to
the
existing
guidelines
for
homologous
precaution
dose
administration
of
Covaxin
and
Covishield
vaccine,
the
sources
added.

All
necessary
changes
in
regard
to
the
administration
of
precaution
dose
of
Corbevax
vaccine
are
being
made
on
the
Co-WIN
portal.

India’s
first
indigenously
developed
RBD
protein
subunit
vaccine
Corbevax
is
currently
being
used
to
inoculate
children
in
the
age
group
of
12
to
14
years
under
the
COVID-19
immunisation
programme.

The
COVID-19
Working
Group
(CWG),
in
its
July
20
meeting,
reviewed
data
of
the
double-blind
randomised
phase-3
clinical
study
which
evaluated
the
immunogenicity
and
safety
of
booster
dose
of
Corbevax
vaccine
when
administered
to
COVID-19-negative
adult
volunteers
of
age
18-80
years
previously
vaccinated
with
two
doses
of
either
Covishield
or
Covaxin.

”Following
the
examination
of
the
data,
the
CWG
observed
that
Corbevax
vaccine
can
induce
significant
increase
in
antibody
titers
when
given
to
those
who
have
received
either
Covaxin
or
Covishield,
which
is
likely
to
be
protective
as
per
the
neutralisation
data
also,” the
sources
said.

Covaxin
booster
shot
enhances
Covid
vaccine
effectiveness
against
Delta,
Omicron
variants:
ICMR
study

The
Drugs
Controller
General
of
India
(DCGI)
on
June
4
approved
Corbevax
as
a
precaution
dose
for
those
aged
18
and
above.
India
began
administering
precaution
doses
of
vaccines
to
healthcare
and
frontline
workers
and
those
aged
60
and
above
with
comorbidities
from
January
10.

The
country
began
inoculating
children
aged
12-14
from
March
16
and
also
removed
the
comorbidity
clause
making
all
people
aged
above
60
eligible
for
the
precaution
dose
of
Covid
vaccine.
India
on
April
10
began
administering
precaution
doses
of
COVID-19
vaccines
to
all
aged
above
18
years.