New Delhi, Aug 7: On Saturday, the Government of India approved the single-dose vaccine of Johnson and Johnson for emergency use in India.
Here are the main details:
- This vaccine can be stored at room temperature and does not need a refrigerated cold storage supply chain. This makes it easy to transport and use.
- Unlike other vaccines that require more than one dose, this vaccine only needs one dose. This halves the cost of administration and also makes it convenient for the person getting vaccinated.
- This is the fifth vaccine to get emergency use approval in India. The other four are Covaxin, Covishield, Sputnik V, and Moderna’s vaccine.
- The vaccine will be manufactured in India by Biological E Limited. This company is based in Hyderabad, India.
- The vaccine works in the same way that the Astrazeneca vaccine works. It carries a weakened adenovirus (the kind of virus that causes cold or flu in people). This adenovirus is modified to include the DNA of the spike protein. The virus of the vaccine makes its way to the cells. The cells, in response, start to build antibodies against the spike protein. This ensures that when the Covid virus attacks, antibodies to the spike protein are already present.
