Covaxin Found To Neutralise B.1.617 Variant Of COVID-19, Says US Pandemic Expert

Washington: Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin has been found to neutralise the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus, White House chief medical adviser and America’s top pandemic expert Dr Anthony Fauci said while speaking to reporters during a conference call on Tuesday, Times of India reported quoting PTI.

“This is something where we’re still gaining data on a daily basis. But the most recent data, was looking at convalescent Sera of Covid-19 cases and people who received the vaccine used in India, the Covaxin. It was found to neutralise the 617 variant,” he was quoted as saying.

So, despite the real difficulty that we’re seeing in India, vaccination could be a very, very important antidote against this,” Fauci added.

The New York Times on Tuesday said Covaxin works by teaching the immune system to make antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The antibodies attach to viral proteins, such as the so-called spike proteins that study its surface.

Responding to a question, Dr Andy Slavitt, White House COVID-19 Response Senior Advisor, said that a strike team from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is headed over to help coordinate this response.

“We are making sure that we are locating some of the raw materials necessary to create more vaccines in India, which I think is going to be an important help there,” he said.