Covaxin booster dose capable of neutralising Omicron, Delta variants, says Bharat Biotech

NEW DELHI: Bharat Biotech on Wednesday said a booster shot of its Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin will neutralise both Omicron and Delta variants of Covid-19.

Booster dose of Covaxin generated robust neutralising antibody responses against both Omicron and Delta variants of SARS-CoV-2, Bharat Biotech said.

The study was conducted at the Emory Vaccine Center in Atlanta based on blood serum collected from 13 individuals, 28 days after their booster shot. It was sponsored by Bharat Biotech's partner Ocugen Inc.

"The neutralisation activity of Covaxin-boosted sera was comparable to what has been observed in mRNA vaccine-boosted sera against the Omicron variant," Bharat Biotech said in a statement.

Furthermore, neutralising antibodies against homologous and heterologous SARS-CoV-2 variants increased from 19 to 265 folds after a third vaccination, it said.

Booster BBV152 vaccination is safe and may be necessary to ensure persistent immunity to prevent breakthrough infections, it further said.