Covaxin Has 93.4 Per Cent Efficacy Against Severe COVID-19 Cases, Overall Efficacy At 77.8 Per Cent: Bharat Biotech

Hyderabad-based vaccine maker Bharat Biotech on Friday (2 July) announced that the third stage trials have shown that Covaxin provides greater protection against emerging B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant of COVID-19, with an efficacy rate of 65.2 per cent, reports Times of India.

Bharat Biotech also shared that in the case of mild, moderate and severe COVID-19 disease, Covaxin demonstrated the efficacy of 77.8 per cent and that in the case of prevention of severe disease alone, the efficacy of the vaccine stood at 93.4 per cent.

The development comes as Bharat Biotech released the data of the third phase trial of the Covaxin, that included around 25,800 participants.

"130 cases of symptomatic COVID-19 were reported in 16,973 (0.77 per cent) participants with follow-up at least two weeks after the second vaccination; 24 occurred in the vaccine group and 106 in placebo recipients giving an overall vaccine efficacy of 77.8 per cent," a study published in the pre-print server medRxiv said.

"Sixteen cases, one vaccinee and 15 placebo recipients, met the severe symptomatic COVID-19 case definition giving a vaccine efficacy of 93.4 per cent," the study said.

The efficacy of the vaccine against asymptomatic COVID-19 was 63.6 per cent, the study said.

It further added that the Covaxin conferred 65.2 per cent protection against the B.1.617.2 or the Delta variant of concern of Covid-causing SARS CoV-2 virus.