Mixing Covishield and Covaxin More Effective, No Side Effects: ICMR Study

A recent clinical study by a team of researchers from ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) Regional Medical Centre and Institute of Virology has shown that mixing vaccine shots is effective against Covid-19, with participants not showing any adverse side effects. Though the study was done on only 18 volunteers, it revealed that the participants, when injectted with two different vaccines (Covishield and Covaxin) weeks apart, exhibited more antibodies than people with double shots of the same vaccine, reported Times of India.

The ICMR study gains importance as some people find difficulty in getting their second shot of the same vaccine due to various reasons. India has administered more than 98 crore shots into people’s arms as of October 18, with the vaccination speed improving in the last couple of months. Even as India’s overall vaccine numbers are high, only 28.69 crore people are fully vaccinated, which is just around 20 percent of the total population of the country.

There is a global debate on mixing different vaccine shots and its effectiveness. The ICMR study has given some answers to the burning questions around vaccines. 18 participants from diverse profiles were first given Covishield and then Covaxin as the second dose. The researchers concluded that mixing vaccine doses not only is safe, but also provides sufficiently higher artificial immunity levels when compared to two shots of the same vaccine.

The ICMR study is yet to be reviewed, but has been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Travel Medicine. Additionally, the study has only evaluated the effects of mixing Covishield and Covaxin. Both Covishield and Covaxin are said to show more than 70 percent efficacy individually.

This study was reportedly ordered after incidents of some people receiving mixed up shots in Uttar Pradesh surfaced. The people, who got jabbed twice with different vaccines in the northern state, though, did not show any adverse side effects.

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