Question
In the context of vaccines manufactured to prevent COVID-19 pandemic, consider the following statements:
1. The Serum Institute of India produced COVID-19 vaccine named Covishield using mRNA platform.
2. Sputnik V vaccine is manufactured using vector-based platform.
3. COVAXIN is an inactivated pathogen-based vaccine.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Explanation
Correct answer: (b) 2 and 3 only
Statement 1 is incorrect: Covishield (Serum Institute) uses a chimpanzee adenovirus viral-vector platform (ChAdOx1) developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca — not mRNA.
Statement 2 is correct: Russia’s Sputnik V uses a human adenoviral vector platform (Ad26 for the primary dose, Ad5 for the booster).
Statement 3 is correct: Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN is an inactivated whole-virion vaccine, using chemically neutralised, non-replicating SARS-CoV-2 to trigger immunity.