Indian healthcare and frontline workers, as well as people 60 years of age and older with comorbidities, started receiving precautionary vaccination doses on January 10.
Digital Desk: Biological E's Corbevax has been approved as a precautionary dose for those over 18 years fully vaccinated with either Covishield or Covaxin, official sources said on Wednesday.
This is the first time a different booster dose than the one used for the primary COVID vaccination has been authorized in the country.
According to the sources who spoke to PTI, the recent recommendations given by the COVID-19 Working Group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization served as the foundation for the Union Health Ministry's approval (NTAGI).
In order to allow the use of Corbevax as a heterologous COVID-19 vaccine for precaution dose administration in this age group, the sources stated that Corbevax will be considered as a precautionary dose after the completion of six months or 26 weeks from the date of administration of the second dose of either Covaxin or Covishield for those aged above 18 years.
According to the reports, this will be in addition to the current recommendations for administering homologous prophylactic doses of the Covaxin and Covishield vaccines.
On the Co-WIN portal, all essential adjustments are being made in relation to the delivery of the precautionary dosage of the Corbevax vaccination.
Corbevax, the country's first RBD protein subunit vaccine, is presently administered to youngsters between the ages of 12 and 14 as part of the COVID-19 immunisation programme.
At its meeting on July 20, the COVID-19 Working Group (CWG) reviewed data from the double-blind, randomized phase-3 clinical study that assessed the immunogenicity and safety of a booster dose of the Corbevax vaccine when given to adult volunteers aged 18 to 80 who had previously received two doses of either Covishield or Covaxin.
"Following the analysis of the data, the CWG observed that administration of the Corbevax vaccine to individuals who have previously received either Covaxin or Covishield can induce significant increases in antibody titers, which is likely to be protective as per the neutralization data as well," the report said.
On June 4, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved Corbevax as a precautionary dose for individuals 18 years of age and above.
Indian healthcare and frontline workers, as well as people 60 years of age and older with comorbidities, started receiving precautionary vaccination doses on January 10.
Beginning on March 16, the nation began immunising youngsters between the ages of 12 and 14. It also abolished the comorbidity clause, allowing anyone over 60 to receive the precautionary dosage of the COVID vaccine.
On April 10, India started giving COVID-19 vaccination precaution doses to all adults over the age of 18.
Leave A Comment