Can tweak & relaunch Covid vax within weeks: Harvard scholar amid rising mutations

New Delhi, Feb 25 India is fighting one of the toughest battles against the Covid-19 outbreaks. The battle turned intense after daily cases resurged following a few weeks drop from a peak of over 90,000 infections in mid-September to a little over 10,000 in early February.

It has begun to rise again in many states along with thousands SARS-CoV-2 mutations. The genetic diagnostic laboratories in India have detected over 24,000 mutations in the strains of SARS-CoV-2 in the last one year, top officials told this week.

Although scientists believe these mutations do not translate into variants, but there exists an uphill task to vaccinate the country, as the virus continues to mutate.

Speaking to , Mrinalini Darswal, a doctor turned IAS officer who is pursuing doctoral studies in public health with a focus on Covid-19 at Harvard University, said: "We are in a position to launch modified vaccines within weeks due to the technical know-how we have gained over the last year."

Excerpts of the interview:

Q: COVID-19 has already started mutating, and it will continue to mutate as the vaccination drive progresses. Cases infected with three main reported variants from the UK, South Africa and Brazil have been found in India. Do you think Indian vaccine platform can address these mutations and continue to provide vaccines effective against the virus?

A: The resurgence in cases of Covid-19 seen in various states in India could be due to waning of earlier immunity or reinfection with new and more contagious strains. Emergence of mutations in Coronavirus is a concern across the globe. India has also reported new and unique mutations in addition to the UK and South Africa ones.

We would know what mutations need modified measures, if they need these at all, as soon as ICMR and other research institutions come out with findings on the variants among the infected.

Fortunately, most existing vaccines seem to work against the new variants, albeit with variable potency. All prevent severe disease as per extant research. As more data comes in, we would either tweak existing vaccines or start using the new and more effective ones. Again, we are in a position to launch modified vaccines within weeks due to the technical know-how we have gained over the last year.

We also have more than 20 more candidate vaccines in various development stages, and many of these are likely to be effective against the new variants. Existing manufacturers are also working on improving existing formulas and designing boosters for the new strains. WHO also recommends going ahead with current vaccination regimens.

Q: These mutated variants spread faster. In the future, they are most likely to replace existing variants. The UK variant is deadlier for older age groups, and the South Africa variant is evasive but not lethal. In this backdrop, what is the learning for the vaccine development program in India?

A: India has emerged as a global leader in vaccine development against Covid-19. We were able to roll out our indigenous vaccines very early. Those have proved to be very safe and effective and logistically superior to those of Moderna and Pfizer. UN and WHO chiefs have thanked and appreciated India heartily for its rapid pace of vaccine development and supplying the vaccines to other countries, directly and through WHO's vaccine alliance.

This year's budget also has made provisions for new institutes for research in infectious diseases and viruses. At the global level, WHO has enhanced its genomic surveillance and information sharing on new variants. It advises countries and manufacturers to be prepared to adjust to the SARS-CoV-2 viral evolution, including potentially providing future booster shots and adapted vaccines if found to be scientifically necessary. Indian National Task Force on Covid-19 is already on the job.

A genomic surveillance consortium, INSACOG, has been formed under NCDC's

( With inputs from IANS )