Which Vaccine is Best for Covid in India
The government of India has up surged the urgency in arranging the COVID-19 vaccination camps all across India since September 2020. With several different vaccines in the market, the citizens in India are concerned about choosing the suitable vaccine for them. Prior to delving into which vaccine is best for covid in India, it is essential to understand the current vaccination scenarios in the second-largest country in the world. However, It’s to be noted that India has its sight on four different vaccines in its ambit for a population of more than 1.3 Billion.
As per the demographics, The country is the youngest nation in the world, with many people in different age groups. The given options in India are approved by WHO, one of the deciding factors for the usage is the immunity and tolerance level of individuals. According to a large-scale survey conducted in the nation, the immunity rate of Indian teens is the lowest.
The nation has the below-mentioned options to choose from:
- Covishield
- Covaxin
- Moderna
- Sputnik
So, Finding the aptest vaccine for Covid in India can be a challenging task.
The government is considering several aspects while selecting the best vaccine for the citizens. It seems like the after-effects of the lockdown and vaccination can severely affect the country’s economic progress. The after the vaccine shot, the individuals experience mild to moderate fever-like symptoms; the presence of the virus (in weak quantities) in the remedial shot is one of the reasons for the same. Given circumstances, this is imperative to critically evaluate the tolerance level and effect of the vaccine among citizens of the country.
Composition of Covid vaccine
EUA has approved the vaccines developed on different platforms. De facto; the vaccine composition contains the strain of the virus. The Sputnik V comprises a weakened strain of common cold viruses along with the adnevirus. It is worth mentioning that vaccine; Covishield and Covaxin, the experts, used similar traditional vaccine building platforms. The Covishield jab consists; an adnevirus found in Chimpanzees; the ChAD0x1 helps enhance the proteins and boosts the tolerance level. The variance in integrity of dosage also depends on the immunity level of the receiver.
The mRNA-based vaccines possess a higher level of accuracy in the case of the deadly COVID-19 virus. In mRNA technology, the messenger RNA instructs the cells to build a fragment of the spike proteins similar to the actual Coronavirus, which helps the body deal with it. In the coming days, India would use this type of vaccine for its citizens. These days, Indian researchers are also planning the plasma-based solution shortly.
Evaluation Criteria of the Covid vaccine
To select the vaccination for such a large population, there need to be specific criteria for evaluating every possible option that Indians have. The parameters for analyzing the vaccine is as follows:
1. Efficacy rate.
2. After-effects on the age groups.
3. Tolerance response level.
4. Robustness against the Delta-Strain.
Furthermore, The efficacy rates refer to the workability of the vaccines in strictly medical clinical settings. The vaccines under the medical observations have qualified the minimum score of 50% of efficacy. The World Health Organization approved these vaccine for human beings after a long clinical observations. The results of clinical trial and efficacy rates are among the most significant factors that account for the selection of the vaccine. A higher variance is there in the case of the effectiveness of the vaccines. It is worth mentioning that after two doses of the vaccination, the efficacy increases by a factor.
| Vaccine | Efficacy rate | Can be scaled up to |
| Covishield | 70% | 91% |
| Covaxin | 78% | 100% |
| Moderna | 78.5% | 83% |
| Sputnik | 91% | 100% |
Precisely evaluation of vaccine
Covishield vaccine has an ER of 70%, which is scalable up to the 91% after the second dosage. The vaccine is capable of generating enough antibodies for dealing with the deadly virus. The next dose is recommended after 8-12 weeks. Covaxin has an efficacy rate of 78% and above, which can be increased up to 100%, making it more reliable for the citizens who can tolerate this vaccine. The Sputnik V’s efficacy rate is at 78%, which is scalable up to 83%. As per the clinical trials, mRNA is one of the most effective vaccines (91%) for COVID. Currently, the companies working on the mRNA-based vaccine are testing it on children below 16 years.
It is evident that with the recent mutations in the virus, the Delta variant has emerged.
The table below depicts the side effects of the usage of vaccines. One can understand the severity level by looking at these details:
| Options | Side effects |
| 1. | Low-medium (Mild to high fever and flu-like symptoms) |
| 2. | Low-medium (mild fever, fatigue, malaise, unusual chills,, headache, nausea, body pain) |
| 3. | Medium-high (Fever, chills, nausea and COVID arm, blood clotting, heart inflammation) |
| 4. | Low-medium (Mild to high fever and flu-like symptoms) |
Moderna; It has more drastic effects as compared to other options available in the list
Conclusion
To put it in a nutshell, the current options of the vaccine in India are sufficient for individuals. COVAX can be concluded as the best Covid vaccine in India as it is in congurence with the evaluation criteria. It is worth highlighting that choosing the vaccine for your body needs research on exceptions from credible resources.
