Covid-19 infections are receding in India, prompting many regions to relax the remaining restrictions related to the pandemic. But at the same time, India’s authorities and experts are continuing efforts to maintain vigil and among the crucial aspects to watch for will be how the Sars-CoV-2 evolves, says Priya Abraham, the director of National Institute of Virology, Pune. In an interview to HT, Abraham addresses risks like reverse zoonosis and speaks on the need for booster doses. Edited excerpts:
How prepared was NIV to handle the pandemic when it started two years ago?
No one can be prepared for a pandemic of this nature, but I must give it to my team that rose to the occasion, working literally 24x7 for months on end to manage the crisis. Our preparedness can be gauged by the fact that India was the fifth country in the world to isolate Sars-Cov-2 virus, and first country to isolate the Alpha variant.
What were the major challenges?
To begin with, the challenge was to train manpower quickly. We started by training a batch of 13 regional viral research diagnostic laboratories (VRDLS); these labs were chosen based on their vicinity to the busiest international airports. From 13, it went up to 106 labs, and now we have at least 3,000 laboratories trained in conducting Covid-19 tests based on protocols developed by NIV. Globally, countries went dry with testing kits so we started validating kits in the lab, some even made in India.
How do you see the collaboration with Bharat Biotech for Covaxin?
{{/usCountry}}How do you see the collaboration with Bharat Biotech for Covaxin?
{{/usCountry}}It is a positive step as normally, developing a vaccine takes at least nine to 10 years but here, we got the first made in India vaccine ready for use in under one year. The partnership has worked well; NIV isolated the virus in March, 2020, and the virus isolate was transferred to Bharat Biotech around end of April. Animal challenge studies were also done in NIV.
What is your take on booster Covid vaccine dose?
Eventually everyone will need it as antibodies, according to what data seem to suggest at the moment, wane in about 6-8 months. But NIV is not in a position to make policy level decisions. NTAGI’s job is to study data, and they are studying global as well as data on Indians on boosters. We have to look at vaccine supplies and also what is best for our population based on science as there are new vaccines that have come. People cannot be allowed to go vaccine-shopping; the decision has to be based on science. We should know soon.
What preparations are being made to handle future threats?
Among other things the focus will be on zoonotic diseases as these are going to be big. Center for One Health, a satellite centre under NIV, will be looking at animal- human infections, and the role that environment has to play. It should be ready in two years.