Which vaccine is better Covaxin or Covishield? This is the main question in the minds of the people as the COVID-19 vaccination drive has already begun in India.
Both the vaccines – Covaxin and Covishield, are different from each other. Presently, the Indian government has not given the choice for the people to choose which Vaccine they can opt for. However, the first phase of vaccination has proved that both vaccines are safe and effective in India.
Let us have a look at the Vaccines for the differences:
Developer
Covaxin has been developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Ltd in association with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV).
Covishield has been developed by the Oxford-AstraZeneca and is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII).
Vaccine Type
Covaxin is an inactivated vaccine, which is prepared on a tried and tested platform of dead viruses. It is developed with Whole-Virion Inactivated Vero Cell-derived technology which contains inactivated viruses and therefore cannot infect a person. But they still can teach the immune system how to prepare a defensive mechanism against the active virus.
This type of conventional vaccines are in use for decades now. By using the same technology, there are vaccines for some diseases like –
- Seasonal influenza
- Rabies
- Polio
- Pertussis, and
- Japanese encephalitis
Covishield is prepared using the viral vector platform which is a totally different technology. A chimpanzee adenovirus – ChAdOx1 – has been modified to enable it to carry the COVID-19 spike protein into the cells of humans.
COVID-19 is a cold virus that is basically incapable of infecting the respiratory system. Covishield can very well teach the immune system to prepare a mechanism against such viruses.
The exact technology was used to prepare vaccines for viruses like Ebola.
Mode of administration
Both Covaxin and Covishield are intramuscular vaccines.
Efficiency
Both the vaccines have shown more than satisfactory results ever since the inoculation started in India.
The effectiveness of the Covishield vaccine is nearly 90% as per the global reports.
The effectiveness of Covaxin is nearly 81% according to interim 3rd phase trial results.
Age
Covaxin has been approved for people aged 12 years and above.
Covishield has been approved for people aged 18 years and above.
Doses
There is no difference between the 2 vaccines in terms of dosage. Both of them follow a two-dose regime with a gap of 28 days apart.
Price
Both the vaccines are being inoculated free of cost at government health set-ups. The government has capped the maximum price of ₹.250 per dose for private hospitals and clinics.
However, the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) has not given a market use authorization clearance to any of the vaccines till now.
Storage
Both the vaccines can be stored at 2 to 8 degrees Centigrade, which is a household refrigerator temperature.
Other Vaccines
Sputnik V will be the third vaccine to be used in India against coronavirus and will be delivered to India this month.
Sputnik V vaccine has been given emergency use authorization in India. This Russian vaccine will be produced by Dr Reddy’s Laboratories.
A recent study found no strong allergies caused by the Sputnik V vaccine.