Is Covishield vaccine effective against the Delta plus variant?

On 24 of june the central government of India declared the new variant ie. the delta variant to be a new variant of COVID19 as a Voc which stands for variant of concern in terms of three defined criteria- Stronger binding to lung cells via receptors, increased rate of transmission and significant reduction in the response of monoclonal antibodies. According to a latest study done in the UK, the covishield vaccine is going to be effective against this new delta variant but an accelerated vaccination campaign can be our saviour since the new variant is not airborne but has human to human transmission.

What is the new Delta variant of COVID-19 variant?

The delta and delta plus variants have been made after a dangerous mutation in the COVID-19 virus. Delta variant also technically known as B.1.617.2, is a resultant of a viral lineage (delta plus variant is a sub-variant) that were first identified in India which showed a rise in the march-april month in U.K, data made it clear that it is 60 times more threatful that it’s alpha variant with some preliminary evidence from scotland and region of England showed that people are twice more likely to end up in hospital if infected than that of alpha variant infection.The same variant led the U.K. to delay the lockdown opening.So far more than 250 cases have been found in the world where India has around 40 cases. Many experts have an opinion that the vaccine covishield is only 60% effective against the delta variant as the mutation point has enhanced the ability of the virus to evade the natural immune response in a human body. 

Studies that help!

As per a study conducted by the regional Medical Research Centre in Bhubaneswar on 274 healthcare workers of which 87% workers had covishield vaccination, of those around 84% infections were symptomatic and only 10% needed any kind of hospitalization indicating the vaccine was 100% effective.

According to the Director General of India Council for Medical Research (DG-IMR), Dr. Balram bhargava, for Covishield only 2 fold reduction is seen in terms of antibody response against the delta variant while Pfizer and Moderna showed 7 fold reduction in the antibody response, covishield is found to be responsive for apha, beta and delta all three variations so far. 

The COVID-19 variant delta plus is making its presence felt in at least 12 countries at the present, just 16 countries have more than 25% patients of this variant, and the spread has already been taken place in 80 countries so far, In India state of Maharashtra has the maximum number of delta plus variant. This variant has 17-18 mutations with deadly ways to surpass human defence mechanisms

Comparisons with the other vaccines!

The latest ICMR reports have found Covishield to be slightly more effective than Covaxin against the new Delta plus variant ( a sub lineage of delta variant). As per the study conducted the reduction in the response of the immune system was 3 fold for Covaxin but for Covishield it was 2 fold in comparison to the alpha variant. Pfizer and Moderns showed only 33% effectiveness towards the response generation. Thus solidifying the belief that covishield can be a major help. 

The only way out!

The proper way to save ourselves lies in our ability to get vaccinations done, avoid any mass gatherings, correct usage of masks everywhere and anywhere we go, completely avoiding going to the indicative hotspots that have been identified but most importantly keeping our immune system alert and awake, consuming fresh nutritious food will be your immunity boosters, herbs & minerals naturally are the best Immunity boosters as they have the all the essential micronutrients needed by our body. Thus, eat well to live long. 

Appropriate COVID behavior and dose of vaccination are our only way forward along with continuous monitoring of this latest threatful variant . The next big step in case of spread should be slightly changing the composition of the existing vaccine as per latest variants which cause concern. So do not hesitate, go vaccinate.