Covishield third jab works against Omicron variant, says Oxford

If the vaccine is recommended for use as a booster against Omicron, it may significantly boost the demand for Covishield in India

A third booster shot of the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine Vaxzevria significantly boosts antibody levels against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, claimed the British drug major.

This brightens the scope for Serum Institute of India (SII), which makes Covishield, the Indian version of the Vaxzevria. Experts are of the opinion that mixing vaccine shots may give better results to boost immunity. However, the University of Oxford has supported the use of Vaxzevria as a third booster dose against Omicron. SII is sitting on 500 million doses of Covishield (half of which is in bulk drug form), and has cut production