India’s First COVID-19 Vaccine Anocovax for Animals Launched- Explained

Anocovax-India’s first COVID-19 vaccine for animals launched: The Agriculture Minister of India, Narendra Singh Tomar, launched Anocovax. Note, it is India’s first COVID 19 vaccine for animals. The vaccine was developed by ICAR- National Research Centre on Equines, Haryana. Anocovax consists of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Delta. Further, it has Alhydrogel as an adjuvant that boosts the immune response of animals. To understand the need for COVID 19 vaccine for zoo animals and pets, read this article to the end.

COVID 19 vaccine for animals name	Anocovax
Constituents	Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Delta Alhydrogel adjuvant
Protects against	Delta and Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2
Launched by	Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar
Developed by	ICAR- National Research Centre on Equines, Haryana
Affective in animals	Dogs, Lions, Leopards, Rabbits, and Mice

How Will the Anocovax Vaccine Work in Animals?

Anocovax-India’s first COVID-19 vaccine for animals launched. Anocovax vaccine is an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Delta vaccine. Inactivated vaccine means that the virus is inactivated/dead. This means, that the virus will cause an immune response but will be unable to cause the disease. An inactivated vaccine has to be taken in repeated doses. This is because although the vaccine causes an immune response, it does not multiply in the body. Furthermore, an inactivated vaccine is preferred to an attenuated vaccine because the latter might work for one species of an animal and not for another.

Anocovax will neutralize both the Delta and Omicron strains of SARS-CoV-2. It also uses Alhydrogel as an adjuvant. The role of an adjuvant is to enhance the immune response. That is, it makes the vaccine more effective.

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What is the Need for Anocovax COVID 19 Vaccine for Animals?

COVID is a zoonotic disease. It can transmit from an animal to humans. This is one of the reasons that the COVID 19 vaccine for pets and animals is important. However, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the chances are low. 

Another need for it is to protect endangered animals. There were about 9 reported cases of COVID infection in the Lions of Chennai’s zoo. According to an Indian Veterinary Research Institute study, there is a minimum of three COVID infections in wild lions in India. There was even a dead leopard cub that later tested positive for COVID-19. Hence, COVID 19 vaccine for zoo animals was a need.

Additionally, Narendra Singh Tomar launched an antibody detection kit for animals. It is called the CAN-CoV-2 ELISA kit. The kit is a specific nucleocapsid protein-based kit that will detect SARS-CoV-2 in animals. 

Russia COVID 19 Vaccine for Animals

There is another country that had developed COVID 19 vaccine for animals. Russia COVID 19 vaccine for animals name is Carnivac-CoV. The vaccines were for animals like dogs, cats, minks, and foxes. It produced about 17,000 doses of the vaccine in 2021. There were talks about countries like Germany, Poland, Austria, South Korea, etc. wanting to purchase the vaccine.

Thank you for reading this article. We hope it was informative.

Anocovax- India’s first COVID-19 Vaccine For Animals Launched FAQs