Difference between Covaxin and Covishield

Covaxin and Covishield both are vaccines developed to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Both provide the body required antibodies and immunity to fight the coronavirus. Although both are vaccines and have the same purpose, they differ from each other in various aspects as described below.

Whenever a virus attacks the body, the body's immune system fights with the virus by producing antibodies and thus defends the body. The ultimate goal of vaccines is also to prepare antibodies to enable the immune system to fight viruses.

The vaccine is divided into two parts attenuated and inactivated.

1. Attenuated:The weak but alive virus is present in the attenuated vaccine. In this, the live virus is injected into the body.
2. Inactivated:The dead virus is present in the inactivated vaccine. In this, the dead virus is injected into the body.

How is a vaccine get approval?

The vaccine has to go through four stages before getting the final approval.

i) Pre-clinical test:In this stage, the vaccine is tested on the animals like the mouse, monkeys, etc.

ii) First phase:In the first phase, vaccines are tested on humans. The vaccine is tested on limited people. Vaccines are given to a maximum of 40 to 50 people and it is checked whether the vaccine has an effect on humans or not.

iii) Second phase: In the second phase, testing is done on more people.

iv) Third phase:Testing is done on different age groups and the Long term and short-term effects of the vaccine are studied.

Covaxin

Covaxin is India's first Covid-19 vaccine, which is developed by Bharat Biotech. Bharat Biotech is located in Hyderabad and it has already developed many vaccines. Such as they also developed the swine flu vaccine 'H1N1' and vaccines for Rotavirus and Zikavirus.

Covaxin is an inactivated vaccine. Its efficacy rate is 80%. Bharat Biotech has made this vaccine alone. Bharat biotech made this vaccine in collaboration with the ICMR and NIV. ICMR stands for the Indian council of medical research, and NIV stands for the National Institute of virology.

How is the Covaxin vaccine made?

The scientists took the Sars-CoV-2 virus and inactivated or killed this virus. There are three methods present to inactivate the virus that is heating treatment, chemical treatment, and radiation treatment. This treatment kills the virus means the virus lost its capability to develop once inserted into the host body and thus they cannot cause any infection. When a vaccine injects into the human body, the immune system recognizes the coat protein of the virus and starts to develop antibodies.

Common side effects of Covaxin

• Peoples feel flu-like symptoms and suffer from fever, headache, and muscle pain for 2-3 days after taking the vaccine.
• Two doses of the vaccine have to be taken. The second dose is to be taken 28 days after taking the first dose.

Covishield

Covishield is one of the most important vaccines used these days, which has got conditional approval by govt. of India. It is manufactured by Serum Institute, which is located in Pune. The efficacy of this vaccine as per the trial data is 70.4%.

Two doses of the vaccine have to be taken. The second dose is to be taken 84 days after taking the first dose. Health workers, front-line workers, are already got their Covishield vaccine dose and other people are also getting vaccinated.

How is the Covishield vaccine made?

The Sars-Cov-2 virus is not used in Covishield. Another virus Adenovirus is used in the Covishield vaccine. Adenovirus is a common flu-causing virus. As our immune system recognizes the viruses by their pattern. The pattern for Sars-Cov-2 virus is outer protein coat of that virus and there is so many coat protein present on the outer coat of the virus. So while producing the vaccine, they take a harmless adenovirus and modify the outside of Adenovirus by adding the outer coating of Sars-Cov-2.

So, the Adenovirus pattern is made the same as the pattern of Sars-Cov-2. Now, the coat protein of Sars-Cov-2 alone cannot cause the Covid-19 as the Adenovirus is present inside the outer coat. Now the vaccine is ready to be injected into a host body. This is how the vaccine is made. The human body recognizes this virus as a Sars-Cov-2 because of the coat protein and based on the coat, the body will state to produce protein antibodies.

Common Side effects of Covishield

• After taking the vaccine, flu-like symptoms may be experienced as the vaccine contains flu causing viruses.
• Muscle pain, fever, a headache may occur for 2-3 days after taking the vaccine.
• Another side effect is vomiting. Not all people, but very few people may feel like vomiting.
• Swelling and redness on the vaccinated site.

How to register for the Covid-19 vaccine?

The Indian government has opened centres for vaccinations. The Indian government organizes these centres and has provided an online facility for registration through a website where you can register yourself to get vaccinated by following the below steps;

1. Open the www.cowin.gov.in website.
2. Register and sign button is available on that webpage.
3. New user has to register by using the phone number, and OTP arrives on his registered phone number, then enter that OTP in the OTP field.
4. After the registration new page is opened for adding members, and the user has to add members by filling in some information like adhar card number, name, and year of birth. Then click on add member button, so members are successfully added.
5. Click on the book slot, and type the pin code of your area or city name in the search box. Then it shows the centre available in your area. Click on that centre and book your vaccinations slot.

The process is the same for both Covishield and Covaxin vaccines.

Rules for Covid-19 vaccines:

• It cannot be given to people under age 18.
• It cannot be given to people who have bleeding disorders.
• Vaccines cannot be given to pregnant women.
• The vaccine cannot be given to people who had a reaction during the trial of the vaccine.
• The vaccine can be given to people who are suffering from cancer.
• The vaccine can be given to older people.
• The vaccine can be given to people who are suffering from fever, cold cough.

Difference between Covaxin and Covishield