Corbevax booster enhances immunity in Covishield vaccinated people: AIG

Amidst concerns of a new Covid wave, researchers at the Hyderabad-based AIG Hospitals here have published results of a significant scientific study proving the immunity benefits of indigenous heterologous vaccine booster, Corbevax, in combating Omicron variants.

Hyderabad: Amidst the concerns of a new Covid wave in India following massive surge in cases in some countries, researchers at the AIG Hospitals here have published results of a significant scientific study proving the immunity benefits of indigenous heterologous vaccine booster, Corbevax, in combating Omicron variants.

Breaking down the key aspects of the study, Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, Chairman, AIG Hospitals and one of the researchers on board, in a press release said the study was done on 250 healthcare workers who had received two doses of Covishield as the primary vaccine regimen not more than 6 months ago.

"The first aspect was to test the safety of this combination. We are extremely happy to report that none of the 250 participants had any adverse events following the administration of Corbevax booster dose. This further cemented our belief that mixed vaccines are absolutely safe," Dr Reddy said.

The second aspect of the study was to measure the antibody response as well as the T-cell (memory cell) response at 30 days and then at 90 days to correctly estimate the overall protection against the circulating Omicron variant and Corbevax as a booster showed higher levels of antibodies at both 30 days and 90 days, the release said.

The study titled "Heterologous Booster Dose with CORBEVAX Following Primary Vaccination with COVISHIELD Enhances Protection against SARS-CoV-2" was published in the high-impact factor journal "Vaccines."

Another significant finding of the study is regarding the memory cells which account for the long-term immunity against the virus. The researchers used advanced flow cytometry to measure T and B Cell responses. Out of the 250 participants, 10 individuals turned out to be COVID positive beyond 30 days after the booster dose, it added.