On 10 August, the Union Health Ministry announced that Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company, Biological E's COVID-19 vaccine, Corbevax has been approved as a precaution dose for fully vaccinated individuals over the age of 18, clearing the path for the first heterologous vaccine dosage combination in India.
This is the first time the government has greenlit the use of a third dose of a COVID vaccine that is different from the two primary doses.
The decision has reportedly been made based on recommendations made recently by the COVID-19 Working Group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI).
Corbevax was previously approved by the Drugs Control General of India for everyone over the age of 12, as well as recommended by the Subject Expert Committee of the DCGI for children over the age of 5.
How much do we know about Corbevax? When can you get the precaution dose? FIT answers your FAQs.
What type of vaccine is Corbevax?
Corbevax, developed by Hyderabad based pharmaceutical company, is India's first recombinant receptor binding domain (RBD) protein subunit COVID vaccine.
Protein subunit vaccine technology is a relatively tried and tested technology wherein only the part of the virus that are needed to trigger an immune response are introduced. It is also considered safer than newer vaccine platforms.
Corbevax was granted Emergency Use Authorisation by the CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation) for use in adults over the age of 18 on 28 December 2021.
It has also been approved by the DCGI for use as primary doses for kids over the age of 12.
Who can take it as a precaution dose?
Anyone over the age of 18 that has received 2 doses of either Covishield, or Covaxin can take a third precautionary dose of Corbevax COVID vaccine.
Corbevax is the first heterologous precaution dose to be approved in India. What does this mean?
So far, only homologous COVID vaccine combinations were allowed in India. This means you could only take a second and third dose of the vaccine that you took as your first dose, with no mix-and-match allowed.
Corbevax, however, has been allowed as a precaution dose to those who have taken two doses of either Covishield or Covaxin, making it the first heterologous COVID vaccine combination to be allowed in India.
I am fully vaccinated. When can I take the precautionary dose of Corbevax?
According to Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, one can take Corbevax as a precautionary dose after a gap of 6 months or 26 weeks from the date of administration of the second dose of either Covaxin or Covishield vaccines.
When will it be available in the market?
According to a circular released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 10 August, the precaution dose of Corbevax will be available from 12 August onwards.
Where can I get the precaution dose?
According to the MoHFW, those who are eligible and due for the precaution dose will be able to register for it on the Co-WIN app.
How much will one dose cost?
One dose of Corbevax costs Rs 400, including taxes and administration charges, in private clinics. Although there isn't an official confirmation yet, the price of one precaution dose of Corbevax is likely to be the same as one primary dose.
It had been announced in July that adults would be offered free precautionary doses of COVID vaccine in government facilities for 75 days starting mid-july in honour of the 75th anniversary of India's Independence. It is not yet clear if Corbevax will be covered under this programme as well.
Is Corbevax on WHO's Emergency Use List?
Not yet. Although Corbevax has been grants an EUA by India's drugs regulatory body DCGI, it hasn't made it to the World Health Organization's Emergency Use List (EUL) yet.
The WHO EUL mainly means three things.
That the vaccine meets WHO's standards for protection against COVID
That the WHO finds the benefit of the vaccine outweighs risks
The vaccine is internationally recognised and can be used (worldwide)
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