India’s Homegrown Vaccine Proves Effective in Trials

A vial of Covaxin, India’s indigenously-produced vaccine. (Wikimedia Commons)

Covaxin, a COVID-19 vaccine developed in India, has been measured to be 81 percent effective in trials conducted by its producer, providing a massive boost in legitimacy to the country’s inoculation efforts both domestically and worldwide. The vaccine, produced by Hyderabad-based biotechnology company Bharat Biotech, had already been administered to millions over the past few weeks before the company announced the Phase 3 test results on March 4. 

Some politicians and health experts had criticized the Indian government for approving the vaccine before it had been proven safe or effective. The trial results provide welcome affirmation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been striving to promote an image of a self-reliant, or ‘Atma Nirbhar’ India.

With more than 11.1 million cases and counting, India has sustained the second-largest case count in the world behind the United States, along with over 150,000 deaths. Despite high case numbers throughout most of 2020, however, cases in India per day peaked in September and have been declining rapidly since then. 

The impressive steepness of the drop has perplexed many scientists as to its cause. Possible explanations include the high proportion of young people within India’s population, growing herd immunity in certain pockets of urban areas, and the fact that Indians may have stronger immune systems than people in more developed countries, due to high exposure to more infectious diseases. India’s high rural population has likely also helped: with almost 70 percent of Indians living outside of cities, it is far more difficult for the virus to spread. The government’s efforts have likely helped as well. Its strict lockdown throughout April and May 2020, and continuing mask mandates that authorities have strongly enforced, have likely hindered COVID-19’s damage in the country. Only around late February this year have cases begun to pick up, yet still at a rate much smaller than countries like the United States. 

Covaxin’s success in trials is also a relief to the many other countries that have been buying millions of Indian-made vaccines. India’s massive pharmaceutical industry has played a key role in producing foreign vaccines like those of AstraZeneca or Pfizer, with the country containing the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world—the Serum Institute of India. India has also donated almost 6.8 million vaccines to foreign countries, mostly to neighbors including Nepal and Sri Lanka, in an attempt to promote ‘vaccine diplomacy’ and ward off the influence of China, who is also attempting to donate millions of vaccines. 

Regardless of India’s vaccine diplomacy efforts, its primary focus has been on inoculating its own population. The country has vaccinated almost 20 million of its 1.4 billion citizens, according to the latest estimates, and to speed up the process, the government has expanded eligibility from just essential workers to people over 60 and those over 45 with significant health risks. To encourage faith in the vaccine, Modi and other government officials received the inoculation within the past week. 

“Remarkable how our doctors and scientists have worked in quick time to strengthen the global fight against COVID-19,” Modi tweeted on February 28. “I appeal to all those who are eligible to take the vaccine. Together, let us make India COVID-19 free!”