Single dose of vaccine half as effective as double dose against B.1.617.2: U.K.

The finding is significant for India, relying heavily on Covishield, with B.1.617.2 becoming the dominant variant

A single dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, in the United Kingdom, was only 33% effective in protecting against coronavirus , first identified in India, as compared to a 59% efficacy from two doses of the vaccine, a study by scientists at Public Health England (PHE) and multiple institutions in the United Kingdom has found. The finding is significant for India, which is not only heavily reliant on Covishield — the AstraZeneca vaccine — or about 90% of vaccination but also because the scientists who analyse genome variants in India report is increasingly becoming the dominant variant in India. The variant has multiple mutations on the spike protein region, a portion on the coronavirus that helps it to infiltrate the human body. Laboratory studies in India testing the potency of Covishield and Covaxin have shown that fewer (related to the 617.2) though the numbers are sizeable to trigger immunity. No similar studies, however have been publicly reported on the B.1.617.2 variant.