Does Delta Plus Variant Affect Vaccine Efficacy, Will Covishield Dose Gap Be Reduced? Know What COVID Task Force Chief Said

About the Delta Plus variant, Dr Paul said that the scientific knowledge about the variant is still in the early stages.

New Delhi: India's COVID Task Force chief Dr VK Paul has stated that it will be unfair to put a date for any COVID wave as the virus is unpredictable. He added that a disciplined and effective pandemic response can enable India to prevent a significant outbreak.

About the Delta Plus variant, NITI Aayog Member Dr VK Paul stated that there is no scientific data so far to establish that the new variant is highly transmissible or reduces vaccine efficacy.

In an interview to news agency PTI, Dr Paul informed that a future COVID wave of any magnitude would be dependent on several factors such as overall discipline in terms of COVID-appropriate behaviour, testing and containment strategies, and vaccination rates.

"And in addition, the unpredictable behaviour of the virus can also change the pandemic dynamics. In such a scenario, their complex factor will determine the chain of transmission and outbreak. Occurrence or non-occurrence of any wave is in our own hands. To my mind, it is not fair to put any date for any wave," he said.

The daily tally of fresh Coronavirus cases has come down from four lakhs at the peak of the second wave to around 50,000 in the past few days while several states are unlocking to resume economic activities.

"If we are determined and disciplined and marshal effective pandemic response, we should be in a position to get away from any significant outbreak," Dr Paul said.

Currently, three COVID vaccines - Covaxin, Covishield and Sputnik V - are being used for vaccinating people in India.

Delta Plus Variant

About the Delta Plus variant, Dr Paul said that the scientific knowledge about the variant is still in the early stages.

"The so-called Delta Plus variant exhibits an additional mutation in the Delta variant and since this is a new variant, scientific knowledge is still in the early stage. Whether this additional mutation in the Delta variant is associated with increased transmissibility or excess severity of disease, or any adverse effect on vaccine efficacy is currently not established and we should wait for this information to emerge," he said.

Delta Plus variant of Coronavirus was identified on June 11 and it was recently classified as a variant of concern.

Regarding the effectiveness of Covaxin and Covishield against the Delta variant, Dr Paul said that both vaccines are effective against COVID's Delta variant,  based on the scientific evaluation by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Covishield Dose Gap

On whether there can be a reduction in the gap between both Covishield doses, the NITI Aayog member pointed out that the country has taken the decision to increase the inter-dose interval for Covishield to three months after careful evaluation of the scientific data.

"The decisions such as this are taken by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), whose members include our top scientists. It is for this group to look at the additional data, additional scientific information and to take a decision based on scientific principles," he stated as quoted by PTI.

Last month, the government extended the gap between two doses of Covishield from six-eight weeks to 12-16 weeks.

"As of now, their decision is to continue with the present dose schedule," Dr VK Paul said.

Indemnity To Foreign Vaccine Makers

When asked if India is close to giving indemnity to foreign vaccine makers like Pfizer and Moderna, Dr Paul said that the issue has multiple dimensions and it is not wise to give a timeline for such issues.

"The discussion for paving the way for internationally developed vaccines to India, is going on. The issue has multiple dimensions and we are trying to find an agreed way forward at the earliest. We are trying to expedite the progress in every possible way," he said.