The difference between Covaxin and Covishield

Covaxin & Covishield

Covaxin and Covishield are both homegrown vaccines that have driven India's vaccination drives. There's now a growing debate that surrounds the use of the two vaccines, with both being available in the open market now

Covaxin is fully raditionally made vaccine which uses an inactive viral strain, drafts an immune response made, developed and produced in India.

Covishield is manufactured & marketed by Pune-based Serum Institute of India which uses viral vector vaccine that uses an adenovirus found in Chimpanzees, ChAD0x1, to deliver spike proteins and mount a tolerable immune response in response to a live virus.

Yet, there are some dissimilarities and benefits which peg them apart. Covishield or the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab remains to be the popular choice, used in maximum countries. Covaxin, on the other hand, is now considered to be one of the most effective and tolerant vaccines against mutant strains. But, do the differences make one better than the other?

The image below describes different mode of Action of vaccines.

Covaxin and Covishield

What happens in case of Covishield and Covaxin...?

Covaxin (BBV152) is an inactivated SARS-Cov-2 Virus Vaccine Whereas Covishield (ChAdOX1) is a Chimpanzee adeno virus vaccine

It means that, Covaxin uses inactivated virus approch ,When you Get Covaxin You are basically getting injected with actual SARS-Cov-2 Virus particles which are inactivated. An inactivated virus wont Cause an infection in your body ,its basically Powerless but it will do one thing help your body to make SARS-Cov-2 Specific antibodies. Mechanism is simple , When Covaxin administered,the T-Helper Cells and B cells detect the inactivated Virus particles. T- Helper Cells are responsible for Producing Memory T-Cells that remember the Virus and B cells are responsible for Producing virus specific antibodies. Basically preparing our body for future infection.

Covishield uses Chimpanzee adeno virus approach. When you get Covishield ,you don’t get injected with actual SARS-Cov-2 Virus instead you get injected with an adenovirus that infects Chimpanzees. Adenovirus which is used in covishield Vaccine is specific strain of Virus that Causes running nose in Chimpanzees. Adenovirus used in Covishield is modified to carry a corona Virus gene When Covishield is administered the adenovirus enters the living cell and the Modified gene instructs the Cell to produce SARS-Cov-2 Spike Proteins and displays it on the surface of the cell. These Spike Proteins are detected by T-Cell and B-Cell and Starts building Antibodies and Immunity.

Administration of Vaccine

Both the vaccines work as two-dose vaccines, administered weeks apart.They are also injected intramuscularly, administered in the upper arm muscles.

While Covaxin's second dose needs to be given 4-6 weeks after the first one, Covishield's second dose could be delayed, i.e. given 6-8 weeks after. The recommendations came in after experts observed a strengthened immune response when the dosing was delayed

The storage of the vaccines, traditional models similar in approach and working is also comparatively easy and can be stored at a temperature of 2-8°C, unlike modern mRNA vaccines.

Efficacy

When it comes to mapping effectiveness, both the vaccines have been found to be well-effective, matching WHO standards and prompting definite immune responses.

Covaxin and Covishield

Covishield, which wrapped up trials in November last year carries an efficacy rate of 70%, which could be further scaled up to 90% if the dosing is given half a dose, followed by a full dose a month later. The tolerability and protection have also been found to be well-suited and thought to reduce the risk of symptomatic infections and speed up recovery timelines, which has been much talked about recently.

Covaxin, a late entrant in the race, had completed major trials by the end of February. As per interim results and clinical studies, the Bharat Biotech vaccine was found to carry over 78% efficacy. Additionally, there has also been clinical evidence that suggests that Covaxin could reduce severity and mortality risk by a whopping 100 per cent.

Side Effects Covaxin

Covaxin, which has been developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech uses an inactive version of the virus. Some of the side effects which have been noticed till right now include redness in the arm, pain at the injection site, low-grade temperature, malaise, headache, vomiting, weakness, and fatigue.

Side Effects Covishield

The Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine, marketed in India as Covishield is widely considered a safe vaccine to use. A person can develop some mild symptoms such as pain, warmth, itching, bruising, fatigue, chills, fever, nausea, muscle ache, lumps, and malaise.

Pricing & Availaibility

Both Covaxin and Covishield are now available in the open market for states to procure.

Serum Institute of India has marked Covishield to be sold at ₹300 for the government, while it will be sold for ₹600 to private facilities.

In comparison, Covaxin is slightly expensive and the public might have to bear the cost. For state governments, it will be marketed at ₹400, while for private hospitals and facilities, it will be priced at ₹1200.

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The difference between Covaxin and Covishield | Covaxin and Covishield, which is better