News Analysis India

Tag: Sputnik vaccine

  • Covid vaccine is effective after taking both doses, says expert

    By Express News Service

    BENGALURU: Despite the differences in percentage, all vaccines are efficacious against Covid and any vaccine is better than no vaccine, doctors have advised. They said people must take what is easily available to them. 

    Various studies in India say that Covaxin is better than Covishield though their efficacy is similar. However, these studies are limited. If anybody is traveling abroad, it is better for them to take Covishield which is approved by several other countries, said Dr. Subrata Das, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine & Diabetology, Sakra World Hospital.

    “They all act in different modalities with the end goal of triggering immunity. They could be composed of a part of the virus, the whole inactivated virus, RNA of the virus, etc. 

    Storing the Pfizer vaccine will be hard in India as it has to be maintained at a temperature of -15 degrees to -18 degrees celsius. Russian studies show over 90% efficacy for the Sputnik vaccine,” Dr. Das said, adding that if one has a history of thrombosis (blood clots), stroke, heart attack, etc, they must take a non-Covishield vaccine. 

    ALSO READ | Remdesivir reduces mortality when taken within seven days of symptoms: COVID-19 study

    There is no need to check the antibody levels post-taking the vaccine as some vaccines evoke T-cell immunity (long-term memory of the immune response). Studies against variants are limited, even though companies claim effectiveness against them. We still do not have real-world data on this and need more time, Dr. Das explained. 

    “On the ground, there is no major difference in efficacy. If we are looking at a reduction in the severity of the disease, mortality, and hospitalization, the vaccine is effective after taking both doses. Incidence of respiratory issues such as low oxygen is visible even after the person takes one dose,” said Dr. Anoop Amarnath, Head, Scientific Board and Chairman-Geriatric Medicine, Manipal Hospital and member of the state’s Critical Care Support Team 

    The trials for these vaccines happened in the first and second waves. Hence, their effectiveness against variants are yet to be studied. There is not much data and the Covid vaccine may be similar to the Influenza vaccine, in the sense that the composition might change as per the prevalence of the strain, Dr. Amarnath added. 

    “Primary efficacy data in both Covaxin and Covishield show that they prevent moderate to severe disease with a rate of 65 percent to 80 percent. How much they diminish over time has not been studied yet. Sputnik has reported 85 percent to 90 percent efficacy, while Moderna and Pfizer have reported over 90 percent, with the percentage lowering between 40 percent to 70 percent due to diminishing,” said Dr. Ravindra Mehta, Senior Consultant, and HoD, Pulmonology and Interventional Pulmonology, Apollo Speciality Hospital.

    Check here the efficacy of various vaccines.

    Vaccine ————— Efficacy Sputnik —————97.8 percentSputnik Light——–93.5 percentCovaxin ————–63.6 percent to 93.4 percentCovishield————66.7 percent to 100 percentModerna ————94.1 percentPfizer—————-94 percent to 95 percentZyCoV-D————66.6 percent 

  • Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami launches Sputnik V COVID vaccine in state

    By PTI

    DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday launched anti-COVID Sputnik V vaccine in the state. On the first day, 100 people got the dose of the Russia-manufactured vaccine.

    Before launching the vaccine at a medical college here, the CM and cabinet ministers observed a two-minute silence as a tribute to former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh, who passed away after prolonged illness at a Lucknow hospital on Saturday.

    Speaking at the launch of the vaccine, Dhami said by December this year, the state government will achieve its target of 100 per cent vaccination. The state is getting all help from the Centre to achieve the goal, he said, adding that it has already received 17 lakh vaccines from the Centre and camps have been set up in the remotest areas.

    The state government is fully prepared to deal with the third wave of the pandemic if it comes and efforts continue to further strengthen health facilities, he said.

  • Serum Institute to start manufacturing Sputnik vaccine in September

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Serum Institute of India (SII) will start production of Sputnik vaccine at the company’s facilities in September, Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said on Tuesday.

    As per the agreement between RDIF and SII, the parties intend to produce over 300 million doses of the vaccine in India per year.

    “The first batch of Sputnik vaccine is expected to be produced at SII’s facilities in September,” RDIF said in a statement.

    As part of the technical transfer process, SII has already received cell and vector samples from the Gamaleya Center.

    With their import approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), the cultivation process has begun, it added.

    RDIF has earlier reached agreements with a number of pharmaceutical companies in India such as Gland Pharma, Hetero Biopharma, Panacea Biotec, Stelis Biopharma, Virchow Biotech and Morepen for the production of the Russian vaccine, the statement said.

    India is the leading production hub for production of Sputnik vaccine, it added.

    “RDIF is delighted to cooperate with Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer. This strategic partnership is a major step to substantially increase our production capabilities demonstrating a perfect example of joining forces and expertise to save lives both in India and around the world,” RDIF CEO Kirill Dmitriev said.

    With technology transfer underway, “we expect the first batches of the vaccine to be produced jointly with SII in coming months,” he added.

    As of now Sputnik V vaccine has been registered in 67 countries globally, RDIF said.

    “We hope to make millions of doses in the coming months with trial batches starting in the month of September,” Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla said.

    ALSO READ | Sputnik V gives 90 per cent protection against Delta strain of COVID-19: Scientist

    With high efficacy and a good safety profile, it is critical that the Sputnik vaccine is accessible in full measure for people across India and the world, he added.

    India is the leading production hub for production of the Sputnik vaccine.

    Efficacy of Sputnik V is 97.6 percent based on the analysis of data on the coronavirus infection rate among those in Russia vaccinated with both components of Sputnik V from December 5, 2020, to March 31, 2021, RDIF said.

  • Tejashwi, Tej Pratap take Sputnik jabs; face NDA taunts over choosing ‘foreign’ brand

    By PTI
    PATNA: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who had been facing flak from the ruling NDA in Bihar for his reluctance to get vaccinated against COVID-19, on Wednesday took the jab along with elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav.

    Both the sons of RJD national president Lalu Prasad took their Sputnik shots at the Medanta hospital here.

    “We took the Sputnik vaccine, A vaccine is a vaccine. What difference does it make whether it is Indian or foreign”, Yadav told reporters afterwards.

    पटना स्थित मेदांता अस्पताल में अपने भाई @yadavtejashwi के साथ कोरोना का टीका लगवाया।आप सब भी लगवाएँ। pic.twitter.com/PigLmFACgi
    — Tej Pratap Yadav (@TejYadav14) June 30, 2021

    Minutes after the two took the shots, former minister and JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar issued a sarcastic video statement.

    “They are born in a rich family, to a father with tainted background who is a convict in a case of economic offence. No wonder they find Sputnik, developed in Russia, and not indigenous Covishield or Covaxin, to their taste”, the JD(U) leader remarked, making an oblique reference to Lalu Prasads involvement in the fodder scam.

    ALSO READ | Congress should be fulcrum of any national coalition against NDA: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav

    Sushil Kumar Modi, a senior BJP leader, and former deputy chief minister, came out with a flurry of tweets saying the sons of Lalu Prasad took the jabs “belatedly” and they should now convince their father, and mother Rabri Devi, to get vaccinated.

    “If Lalu Prasad is already vaccinated, the information should be made public. It would send across a positive message among the public. Also, Tejashwi, the leader of the opposition and Tej Pratap, an ex-minister for health, would have done better to have chosen a government hospital for taking the jabs”, Modi said.

    He pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and many other dignitaries have taken the shots at public health facilities and the brother duo “should avoid lending their heft to branding of private hospitals which are beyond the reach of the poor”.

    Incidentally, on the previous day when asked about the delay in getting vaccinated, Tejashwi Yadav had shot back “what is the hurry. I fall in the 18-44 years age group. This is the last category”.

    ALSO WATCH:

  • Uttarakhand to import 20 lakh doses of Sputnik COVID vaccine

    By PTI
    DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand will import 20 lakh doses of Sputnik vaccine over the next two months, officials said on Wednesday.

    Giving the information at a press conference here, Chief Secretary Om Prakash said a five-member committee has been constituted for the purpose and the required funds have been arranged.

    The state government has also requested the country’s leading vaccine manufacturing companies to supply doses of the vaccine to Uttarakhand, he said.

    He said the state government is constantly in talks with the Centre also as vaccine doses received so far are not adequate.

    “We will get 8 lakh doses this month and 9 lakh doses next on the condition that the second dose is administered to people who have already got the first dose,” he said.

    The chief secretary said the state has received 80 metric tonnes of oxygen from the Centre whereas the state’s daily oxygen requirement is 60 tonnes.

    “We have been allotted two containers of 20 tonnes each.

    We have requested the Centre for more containers and by Friday we will be getting six more of them,” he said.

    The chief secretary reiterated that stern action will be taken against those indulging in black marketing of drugs and equipment used in COVID management.

    IG Amit Sinha said 24 FIRs have lodged in connection with black marketing and overcharging of drugs and equipment used in COVID management and 35 accused have been arrested.

    As many as 587 people have been penalised for not wearing masks and 6,057 for violating social distancing guidelines, he said.

    ALSO WATCH: