๐ Topic 05 of 6 ยท Chapter 04 ยท Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering
Vaccines & COVID-19 โ Covaxin, Covishield
Types of vaccines, Covaxin, Covishield, ZyCov-D, clinical trials โ complete notes for UPSC & PSC exams.
๐ Types of Vaccines
| Type | How it Works | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Live Attenuated | Weakened live pathogen; strong immune response | MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), Oral Polio, BCG (TB), Varicella |
| Inactivated | Killed pathogen; safer but weaker response | Covaxin (COVID-19), IPV (Polio), Hepatitis A, Flu shot |
| Subunit/Protein | Part of pathogen (protein/antigen) | Hepatitis B, HPV (Gardasil), Pertussis component |
| mRNA Vaccine | mRNA instructs cells to make spike protein โ immune response | Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Moderna (Spikevax) โ COVID-19 |
| Viral Vector | Modified virus delivers genetic material | Covishield (AstraZeneca/Oxford), Sputnik V, Johnson & Johnson |
| DNA Vaccine | DNA plasmid instructs cells to make antigen | ZyCov-D (COVID-19) โ world’s first approved DNA vaccine |
๐ India’s COVID-19 Vaccines
| Vaccine | Developer | Type | Key Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Covaxin | Bharat Biotech + ICMR + NIV | Inactivated virus | India’s first indigenous COVID vaccine; approved Jan 2021 |
| Covishield | Serum Institute of India (SII) + AstraZeneca/Oxford | Viral vector (ChAdOx1) | Most widely used in India; SII = world’s largest vaccine manufacturer |
| ZyCov-D | Zydus Cadila | DNA vaccine | World’s first approved DNA vaccine for COVID-19; needle-free injector |
| Corbevax | Biological E | Protein subunit | India’s first RBD protein subunit vaccine; approved for 5-12 years |
โญ Key Facts โ Vaccines:
โข Covaxin = Bharat Biotech + ICMR = inactivated virus = India’s indigenous COVID vaccine
โข Covishield = Serum Institute of India = viral vector = most widely used
โข ZyCov-D = Zydus Cadila = world’s first DNA vaccine for COVID-19
โข mRNA vaccines = Pfizer + Moderna = first time mRNA used at large scale
โข India = “Pharmacy of the World” = supplies ~60% of world’s vaccines
โข Covaxin = Bharat Biotech + ICMR = inactivated virus = India’s indigenous COVID vaccine
โข Covishield = Serum Institute of India = viral vector = most widely used
โข ZyCov-D = Zydus Cadila = world’s first DNA vaccine for COVID-19
โข mRNA vaccines = Pfizer + Moderna = first time mRNA used at large scale
โข India = “Pharmacy of the World” = supplies ~60% of world’s vaccines