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Covaxin maker Bharat Biotech's nasal vaccine ready to take on new covid strains
New Delhi: Bharat Biotech International Ltd, which developed the covaxin vaccine to protect against earlier variants of covid-19, says its intranasal and injectable vaccine platforms are ready to be adapted for new strains of the disease.
India has recorded 5,755 active covid cases, according to the Union health ministry's data issued on Sunday. The nation also reported four new fatalities in the last 24 hours, taking the total covid death toll since 1 January to 59.
Health officials have identified two new JN.1 covid variants as the cause of the fresh wave of the infectious disease.
Suchrita Ella, managing director of Bharat Biotech, said the company's nasal vaccine iNCOVACC is 'specifically designed for flexibility to adapt to circulating strains, protection in upper respiratory tract, and easy administration without injections".
'Bharat Biotech's covid-19 vaccine platforms, both the injectable and intranasal versions, are enabled for adaptation. However, any decision to restart production is contingent upon regulatory agency approvals," she said in an email interview.
'We continue to work in close coordination with regulatory bodies to ensure preparedness always aligns with evolving scientific and safety standards," Ella said, adding that the company is monitoring the situation and is "well positioned to respond effectively".
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Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India manufactured billions of doses of vaccines for Indians and for supplying to more than 100 countries during the first few waves of the covid pandemic. The last covid vaccine batches were manufactured a year ago, with no visibility on new stocks.
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, a former chief scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO), recently emphasized the need for vaccine manufacturers to update their formulas based on new variants, warning that vaccines developed for the original covid strain would offer little protection now.
Bharat Biotech halted production of covaxin due to a decline in demand in early 2022 and destroyed significant quantities of its vaccine stock. 'Subsequently, we proceeded with the destruction of about 200 million doses of bulk and about 50 million doses of vaccines in vials," Ella said.
Asked if booster doses should be given to high-risk populations, Ella said that remained subject to national regulatory approval.
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India's covid preparedness
The Union health ministry, while stating that most current covid cases are mild, has directed states and union territories to increase testing and ensure medical preparedness across health facilities, reviewing the availability of oxygen, isolation beds, ventilators, and essential medicines.
A nationwide mock drill was conducted last week to assess the functionality of oxygen supply systems in hospitals.
The Union government has also advised the public to practise covid-appropriate behaviour, especially avoiding crowded places when unwell and seeking medical intervention.
State and district surveillance units are also closely monitoring cases of influenza-like illness (ILL) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI). As per government guidelines, all admitted SARI patients and 5% of ILI cases are to be tested for covid.
Scientists at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) are conducting genome sequencing of positive samples to track the variants.
The latest covid wave is attributed to two new coronavirus variants—NB.1.8.1 and LF.7, which are mutations of the Omicron offspring JN.1 variant. Kerala has reported the maximum number of covid cases this year, at 1,373, followed by Maharashtra (510), Delhi (457), Gujarat (461), and West Bengal (431).
According to the Union health ministry, 760 people have recovered from covid in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries this year to 5,484.
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