How DNA vaccines work | In Focus

In Focus by The Hindu

As early as this month, India may see the rollout of ZyCoV-D, the world's first DNA vaccine against COVID-19. Pharmaceutical company Zydus Cadila has received Emergency Use Authorisation for this vaccine, which is also the first in the country to be approved for children above the age of 12. How do DNA vaccines work, and how are they different from the vaccines we have now -- Covishield and Covaxin? What sort of immunity will the DNA vaccine provide? Will the three-dose regimen pose a problem, logistically, in administering ZyCoV-D? Sero-surveys across the country have shown us that in the most populated of regions 70% of the population may have COVID-19 antibodies already -- what does this mean for children, and do they need to be necessarily vaccinated at this stage?

Guest: Dr Gagandeep Kang, Professor of Microbiology at Christian Medical College, Vellore.

Host: Zubeda Hamid