Current affairs

India gets its fifth Covid-19 vaccine: Here's all you need to know about this single-dose vaccine!

By alagu, 07 August, 2021
Johnson & Johnson vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine, COVID-19

In what would become a crucial driver to push India's Covid-19 vaccination programme, the country has on Saturday witnessed the entry of the single-dose vaccine, which has become the fifth Covid-19 vaccine in India after Covishield, Covaxin, Sputnik V, and Moderna. On Saturday, the Union government has given Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the vaccine developed by global healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson. 

The development has come when the country has been surfaced with the predictions of the Covid-19 third wave and being a single-dose vaccine, the J&J's vaccine would add a significant arm to India's fight against the pandemic. On Saturday, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has announced the entry of J&J's vaccine and said that this will further boost the nation's collective fight against Covid-19. 

Taking to Twitter, Mandaviya wrote, "India expands its vaccine basket! Johnson and Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is given approval for Emergency Use in India. Now India has 5 EUA vaccines. This will further boost our nation's collective fight against #COVID19". On Friday, J&J has said that it had applied for EUA on August 5 in India and added that it remained committed to bringing its single-dose Covid-19 vaccine to India. 

J&J has released a statement concerning securing authorization for its vaccine in India in which the healthcare company has said, "This is an important milestone that paves the way for bringing the company's single-dose Covid-19 vaccine to the people of India, and the rest of the world, through a collaboration with Biological E Limited." The company stated, "Biological E will be an important part of our global supply chain network, helping to supply our Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine through the extensive collaborations and partnerships we have with governments, health authorities, and organizations such as Gavi and the COVAX Facility." 

How does the Johnson & Johnson vaccine work?

According to the World Health Organization, J&J's vaccine is a single-dose vaccine and has been estimated to remain stable for two years at minus 20 degrees Celcius and a maximum of 4.5 months at routine refrigeration temperatures of 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit. J&J's vaccine has been determined to be easier to handle and lasting three months in the refrigerator compared to international vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna. 

Studies have shown that the J&J's vaccine is 66 per cent effective in preventing cases of moderate to severe illness and 85 per cent effective against severe cases of Covid-19. The vaccine has completed prevented hospitalizations and death four weeks after inoculation. With the EUA, the vaccine shot will be brought to India through a supply agreement with homegrown vaccine maker Biological E Ltd, an Indian biotechnology and biopharmaceutical company based in Hyderabad, Telangana.

The experts say that J&J Vaccine would be a turning point in beating the pandemic and brings in a huge advantage that it is a single-dose vaccine, unlike the current vaccines that are in usage in India. It has also been reported that the J&J vaccine is much more like a regular vaccine and is much easier to distribute and maintain. It has huge implications for rural areas of the country. According to reports, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given Emergency Use Authorization back in the country as the vaccine has been certified to have a very high safety standard.

J&J has said that the EUA submission is based on topline efficacy and safety data from the Phase 3 Ensemble clinical trial, which demonstrated that the company's single-shot vaccine was 85% effective in preventing severe disease across all regions studied, and showed protection against Covid-19 related hospitalization and death, beginning 28 days after vaccination. 

Following the EUA from India, J&J India spokesperson said, "We are pleased to announce that on 7th August 2021, the Government of India issued Emergency Use Authorization for the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 single-dose vaccine in India, to prevent Covid in individuals 18 years of age and older." With the J&J vaccine, India has five Covid vaccines which have been given emergency use approval. The other four are Serum Institute of India's Covishield, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, Russia's Sputnik V, and America's Moderna, making the J&J vaccine the second American-developed vaccine in India.

What's the cost of the J&J vaccine in India?

While the Covid-19 vaccines can be administered at free-of-cost at government-run facilities across the country, availing vaccines at the private hospitals and private facilities demands money. Per dose of Covishield will cost Rs 780 while Covaxin costs Rs 1,410 in India. Russian developed Sputnik V will cost Rs 1,145 per dose at private hospitals and facilities. According to reports, the cost of the J&J vaccine per dose in India would be around Rs 1,800. The total cost per dose of the J&J vaccine would come around Rs 2000 including the administrative cost of the hospitals and GST.

 

You may also like

Comments