The COVID-19 Pandemic brought the world to a standstill and continues to infect millions. Besides claiming the lives of people, it adversely impacted the livelihoods of many. Vaccines are considered the ultimate defense against COVID-19 since no medication or proven cure is so far available. The vaccines available in the market claim varying efficacy against the SARS-COV-2 virus. To understand which vaccine is best in comparable terms, it is important to understand the types of vaccines and the technology used in their development.
As per the classification of WHO, there are four kinds of COVID-19 vaccines developed so far in different parts of the world.
1. Whole Virus
Whole virus vaccines use conventional technology of attenuated or inactivated viruses to trigger an immune response in your body. Live attenuated virus consists of a weakened viral component. It can still replicate but would not cause illness and can effectively initiate an immune response. Inactivated virus vaccines on the other hand utilize the virus whose genetic material has been altered so that it does not replicate. But it can efficiently trigger an immune response in the body. Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN falls under this category.
2. Protein Subunit
Protein subunit vaccines use fragments of pathogen proteins to trigger an immune response. They are considered safer with a reduced risk of side effects. This is because a live or attenuated virus is not involved. But the immune response might be weaker in this case. Hence, adjuvants are required to boost the response. Hepatitis B virus vaccine is an example of an existing subunit protein vaccine.
3. Nucleic Acid
Nucleic acid vaccines use high-end technology of utilizing genetic material or spike protein of Coronavirus. DNA or RNA is the genetic material that carries instructions to trigger the formation of antigens in the human cell itself. These antigens inside the body then trigger an immune response and antibodies. Nucleic acid vaccines are cheaper and hold the potential of scalable manufacturing when there is a need to vaccinate a large population. But one disadvantage associated with these vaccines is storage and logistics limitations. RNA and DNA vaccines need to be stored in ultra-cold temperatures of -70 degrees Celsius, which is a huge impediment in resource-poor countries.
4. Viral Vector
Viral vector vaccines also carry genetic material as instruction, but they use the harmless virus as a vector. This vector virus is different from the one that the vaccine is trying to provide immunity against. For example, chimpanzee adenovirus is currently used as a vector that causes the common cold, to target COVID 19. Viral vector vaccines are said to trigger a very strong immune response because they can mimic a natural viral infection inside the body. Although, on the downside, some people might already be infected with the viral vector. Hence reducing the efficacy in a few cases. COVISHIELD developed by AstraZeneca and manufactured by Serum Institute of India is a viral vector vaccine.
COVISHIELD or COVAXIN ?
The answer to the question “which vaccine is best for you?” depends on multiple factors. Some of the factors are availability, manufacturing capability, and whether multiple options are available in the market. COVISHIELD and COVAXIN are the two vaccines available in India so far and both have shown good efficacy against the COVID-19. Both of the vaccines exhibit effective immune responses and have proven to reduce the severity of the disease. The battle against the COVID-19 pandemic is a collective struggle to get back to the ‘normal’ and save lives and livelihoods. Hence, it is the individual responsibility of each citizen to book their vaccine slots and get vaccinated as and when possible and ensure COVID appropriate behavior.
You can search for vaccine slot availability on the ‘Vaccine Slot Finder’ on the OneDios app. It allows you to have a streamlined and uncomplicated experience while searching for your vaccine slot. You have to simply enter your Pincode to get the relevant information about slot availability. OneDios COVID 19 Vaccine Slot Finder empowers you to efficiently check available vaccine slots in your area by making the process easygoing, painless, and reliable.
You can also track vaccine-related statistics on the “Vaccination Dashboard” available on the OneDios app. The data for the dashboard is sourced from official Co-Win Statistics. Through this dashboard, you can stay informed about the number of sites conducting vaccination and total vaccination doses in real-time. Relevant data and trends are presented in user-friendly graphs, categories, and visual formats for greater access. You can also check updated data by selecting your state or district to know about specific statistics.