In India, more than 260 million doses of three approved vaccines that are covishield, covaxin, and Sputnik V are given. Covaxin and covishield are the two Indian vaccines approved by the Indian government for the coronavirus. Due to the deadly second wave of coronavirus a third vaccine that is Russia’s Sputnik V has been also approved and considered safe.
What is Covishield?
It is one of the first two vaccines approved by the Indian government for emergency use as COVID-19 severity is increasing in India by every day. These doses are developed by the University of Oxford along with AstraZeneca. In India, the doses are being developed at the Serum Institute of India at Pune.
How Does Covishield Work?
The formula of covishield is a weakened version of a common cold virus i.e., adenovirus from chimpanzees, ChAD0X1. It resembles coronavirus but can’t cause any illness. After the vaccine gets injected into the person it promotes the immune system to make antibodies which will act against coronavirus infection if the person gets infected in the future. Covishield will be administered in two doses in 4 to 12 weeks difference. It should be stored at 2°C to 8°C.
Efficacy of Covishield
The clinical trials of phase-3 conducted by the University of Oxford in December 2020 showed 70.4% of efficacy for AstraZeneca. After the second dose, the efficacy reached 90%.
Side effects of Covishield
Some Common side effects shown by persons who are vaccinated with covishield are pain, redness, swelling, itching, fever, chills, nausea, headache, joint pains, and fatigue. These side effects can be suppressed by taking paracetamol after vaccination.
What is Sputnik V?
It is a vaccine developed by Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute, Russia. India received 125 million doses of the first batch of this vaccine in May. It is an inactivated vaccine made up of killed coronaviruses. It has been approved in over 60 countries including Iran, Argentina, Hungary, and Venezuela.
How Sputnik V Works?
The formula of Sputnik V uses two dissimilar and disarmed strains of the common cold virus i.e., Adenovirus. By injecting two different strains the risk of the immune system developing resistance to the initial vector can be minimized.
Sputnik V delivers a small fragment of SARS-CoV 2 into the body and exposes the genetic code of the virus. Thereby our body produces antibodies against the coronavirus. It will be administered in two doses in a gap of 21 days and should be stored at 2°C to 8°C.
Efficacy of Sputnik V
Sputnik V showed an efficacy of 91.6% similar to Moderna and Pfizer.
Side effects of Sputnik V
The persons vaccinated with Sputnik V developed a fever in some cases which can be suppressed by taking paracetamol and no other side effects but reported till date.
What is Covaxin?
Bharath biotech, India in partnership with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology manufactures covaxin in January 2021 for emergency use in India.
How Covaxin Works?
Our human body can detect even dead coronavirus and produce antibodies against SARS CoV 2. It is also a two-dose vaccine in a gap of 4 weeks and should be stored at 2°C to 8°C.
Efficacy of Covaxin
The covaxin has an efficacy rate of about 81% shown by phase-3 trials. This vaccine is effective against the UK variant too.
Side effects of Covaxin
Some of the side effects shown by the persons vaccinated with covaxin are pain, redness, swelling, itching, fever, chills, nausea, headache, joint pains, and fatigue. These side effects can be suppressed by taking paracetamol after vaccination.
Difference Between Covishield, Sputnik V and Covaxin
| Covishield | Sputnik V | Covaxin |
|---|---|---|
| Vaccine Developed By | ||
| Covishield is developed by the University of Oxford along with AstraZeneca. In India, the doses are being developed at the Serum Institute of India at Pune. | Sputnik V is manufactured by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, Russia. | Bharath biotech, India in partnership with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology manufactures covaxin. |
| Type of Vaccine | ||
| Covishield is a weakened version of a common cold virus i.e., adenovirus from chimpanzees, ChAD0X1 | Sputnik V uses two dissimilar and disarmed strains of the common cold virus i.e., Adenovirus. | Covaxin is an inactivated vaccine made up of killed coronaviruses. |
| Storage | ||
| Covishield should be stored at 2°C to 8°C. | Sputnik V should be stored at 2°C to 8°C. | Covaxin should be stored at 2°C to 8°C. |
| Number of doses | ||
| Covishield will be administered in two doses in 4 to 12 weeks difference. | Sputnik V will be administered in two doses in a gap of 21 days. | Covaxin is also a two-dose vaccine administered in a gap of 4 weeks. |
| Efficacy | ||
| After administration of the second dose of the covishield showed the efficacy of about 90%. | Sputnik V has an efficacy of 91.6% | Covaxin has an efficacy rate of about 81% and is effective against the UK variant. |
| Price | ||
| For government-Rs.300/- per dose, For private Rs.600/-. For citizens- free at government centers. At private hospitals Rs.250/-. | The price of Sputnik V is not yet given in India. The global price is USD 10 | For government-Rs.600/- per dose, For private Rs1200/-. For citizens- free at government centers. At private hospitals Rs.250/-. |
Conclusion
The major difference between covishield, covaxin, and Sputnik V is that the formula by which the vaccine is made. Covishield uses a weakened version of the common cold virus from chimpanzees whereas covaxin is made up of dead coronavirus and Sputnik V is formulated with two different strains of the common cold virus. All three vaccines have similar efficiency after administration of the second dose.
