Covaxin neutralises 617 variant of COVID: Expert Dr Anthony Fauci

America’s top pandemic expert says the Indian vaccine could be an important antidote to contain the spared of Coronavirus in a populated nation like India

Covaxin, India’s home-grown COVID-19 vaccine, has been found to neutralise the B.1.617 variant or the Indian double mutant strain, White House chief medical adviser and America’s top pandemic expert Dr Anthony Fauci said.

“This is something where we’re still gaining data on a daily basis. But the most recent data, was looking at convalescent Sera of COVID-19 cases and people who received the vaccine used in India, the Covaxin. It was found to neutralise the 617 variants,” he said.

Dr Anthony Fauci, White House chief medical adviser

“So, despite the real difficulty that we’re seeing in India, vaccination could be a very, very important antidote against this,” Fauci added.

The New York Times on Tuesday said Covaxin works by teaching the immune system to make antibodies against the virus. 

Developed by Bharat Biotech in partnership with National Institute of Virology and the Indian Council of Medical Research, Covaxin was approved for emergency use on January 3. Trial showed the vaccine has an efficacy of 78 per cent.

Dr Andy Slavitt, White House COVID-19 Response Senior Advisor, said that a strike team from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is headed over to India to help coordinate this response.

Help pours in for India; Biden ‘rushing’ supplies

The US is rushing a whole series of help, including life-saving drugs and machinery, that India needs to combat the massive surge in COVID-19 cases, President Joe Biden has said, as he again recalled New Delhi’s assistance to America when it was in a “bind” due to the pandemic. “We are sending the actual mechanical parts that are needed for the machinery they have to build a vaccine, and that is being done as well,” he said.

Scores of other nations have begun sending medical supplies to New Delhi. Singapore Minister Maliki Osman on Wednesday flagged off two of Singapore Air Force’s C-130s with 256 Oxygen cylinders. India will airlift more oxygen containers.

Expressing solidarity over the unprecedented medical emergency India is fighting, Canada offered US$10 million to Indian Red Cross to support and procure essential supplies. On its part, South Korea said it will provide India with oxygen concentrators, COVID-19 diagnostic kits and other aid items to help New Delhi tackle the world’s worst surge in infections.

Germany too is ready to transport a large oxygen production plant to India in about a week which will provide oxygen for quite a number of people, German ambassador to India Walter J Lindner has said.

Individuals too are putting up similar efforts. Indian-American non-profit body Sewa International USA has raised nearly $4.7 million to help India. On Tuesday, it collected a shipment of 2,184 oxygen concentrators to be sent to India. “This is a collective effort that can save lives, defeat hunger, assure distressed people, and help India in its decisive fight against COVID-19,” Sewa said.

Single dose cuts transmission by half

A single dose of AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccines have been found to cut COVID-19 transmission rates by up to half, according to a new Public Health England study on Wednesday. Those given a first dose of either of the two vaccines were between 38 and 49 per cent less likely to pass the virus to others.

7,02,752
No. of new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours

14,88,59,866
Total no. of cases worldwide

31,38,755
Total no. of deaths worldwide

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