Mixing Covaxin, Covishield Shows Better Results Than 2 Doses Of Same Vaccine: ICMR

New Delhi: Combining Covaxin and Covishield results in better immunogenicity than two doses of the same vaccine, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said.

The findings are based on a study conducted by Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV).

According to the study, titled ‘Serendipitous COVID-19 Vaccine-Mix in Uttar Pradesh, India: Safety and Immunogenicity Assessment of a Heterologous Regime’, immunisation with a combination of Covishield and Covaxin is not only safe but also provides better immunity against COVID-19 variants.

“The findings suggested that immunisation with a combination of an adenovirus vector platform-based vaccine followed by an inactivated whole virus vaccine was not only safe but also elicited better immunogenicity,” the study said.

The study was conducted on 98 people, including 18 who had received two doses of different vaccines in Uttar Pradesh.

“Though India so far has followed homologous approach (two doses of one vaccine) with Covishield and Covaxin, 18 individuals, under the national programme, inadvertently received Covishield as the first jab and Covaxin as the second,” it said.

The first such study is yet to be peer reviewed.

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Researchers compared safety and immunogenicity profile of those who received different vaccines with that of individuals who received two doses of either Covishield or Covaxin.

“We compared the safety and immunogenicity profile of them (18 individuals) against that of those receiving either Covishield or Covaxin. Lower and similar adverse events following immunisation in all three groups underlined the safety of the combination vaccine-regime,” they said.

“Immunogenicity profile against Alpha, Beta and Delta variants in the heterologous group was superior and IgG antibody and neutralising antibody response of the participants was also significantly higher compared to that in the homologous groups,” the study stated.