India began the second phase of vaccination drive on march 1 in which everyone above 60 year of age and those over 45 years are able to get the covid 19 vaccine.
The first phase of the immunization drive against covid 19 had begun on January 16 with healthcare workers of India’s covid 19 battle .it gradually extended to frontline workers on February 2.
At the beginning of 2021, India has approved two vaccines -Covaxin developed by Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech and Covashield from the oxford Astrazeneca manufactured by serum institute of India for emergency use in the country.
The two vaccines have been distributed to different states and union territories. And have not given the option to choose the vaccine they will be administered. A comparison between the two vaccines Covashield and Covaxin has approved in India. The ICMR director said, by the time of mass vaccination the final set of data will be available.
Manufacturing;
Covashield vaccine has been developed by using the virus that causes common cold infection among chimpanzees. It has been developed by using a weakened version of adenovirus. Its genetic material is same as that of the spike of protein of SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus.
Covaxin vaccine has been developed using dead coronavirus called inactivated vaccine in medical language. The virus is not capable of affecting people after being injected. It prepares the immunity system to recognize the actual virus and fight it if infection happens.
Efficacy;
Covaxin is still in the final stage of clinical trial and no efficacy rate has been made by public. While, the efficiency of Covishield has been pegged at over 70 percent. The efficiency rate is far below than the vaccines developed by PfizerNBiotech and Moderna.
Dosage;
Covaxin and Covashield both are two-dose covid19 vaccine. Covashield vaccine was found to show over 90% efficiency if one and half doses are given to the recipient. The interval between the two shots has not been yet decided by DCGI but its developer Bharat Biotech said the second shot would be given after 14 days.
Storage;
Both Covaxin and Covashield vaccines are easy to store as they required to be kept at 2-8 degree Celsius. In India. Most vaccines are commonly kept at this temperature range. This help in transport of both vaccine safely and easily for all parts of the country.
Pricing;
Both the vaccine are being charged Rs 250 at private healthcare facilities. And it is available free of cost in government hospitals.
Safety;
The DCGI has said Covishield and Covaxin are safe. Some side effects have been seen like mild fever, pain and allergy are common for every vaccine.
The vaccination plan;
The government aims to vaccinate 30 crore people by July defining them as a ‘’priority population. ‘’. Which include frontline worker , essential duty personnel. Vaccination will be done through registration on Co-WIN, a digital platform developed by government with the aim of monitor or facilitate the drive against the covid19 pandemic.
