In the case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, antibody levels begin to decline after six months in people who have taken Covishield, Covaccine, and a combination of both. This has been indicated by a study by the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. Dr. Pragya Yadav, Scientist at NIV said that in case of Delta and other worrisome forms, good results were given by giving Covishield in the first dose and Covaccine in the second dose.
The results of the study have been published in the Journal of Travel Medicine. The effect of the vaccine was assessed in three categories under the study and all people under trial were closely monitored. The study showed that in the case of Omicron, post-vaccination immunity began to weaken after six months. This may necessitate a change in vaccination strategy.
Three groups were included in the study. There was a heterogeneous group of 18 individuals who were inadvertently given the first dose of Covishield and the second dose of Covaxin in UP. The other two groups consisted of 40 individuals, each of whom received two doses of either Covishield or Covaxin.
NIV scientist Dr Pragya Yadav said, “All three groups were closely monitored. During this it was found that those who received the first dose of Covashield and the second dose of Covaxin had very good antibodies against Delta and other variants. Whereas, people who received both doses of the same vaccine had comparatively lower antibodies. Studies so far have shown that a booster dose is necessary for recovery from Omicron.