1st in Odisha, VIMSAR to study antibodies in COVID vaccinated people

Sambalpur: In a first , Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) in Burla here will conduct a study on antibodies being developed in persons administered with COVID-19 vaccines.

Proposed by a team of VIMSAR doctors around a week back, the project received nod from the State government’s Health Research Committee on Thursday.

VIMSAR in collaboration with scientists of Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), Bhubaneswar will conduct the research for over a period of 12 months. A team of doctors will conduct the study among healthcare providers in VIMSAR who have already been vaccinated. Around 400 to 500 vaccines will be observed  during the survey.

The team of doctors, includes principal investigator, tutor of department of community medicine Dr Sanjeeb Mishra and co-investigators associate professors, community medicine Dr Subrat Pradhan and Kulwant Lakra, professor, anaesthesiology Bimal Panda and assistant professor, Microbiology Dr Sumanta Sahu.

The team will be assisted by four post graduate (PG) students besides two scientists and a laboratory assistant of Multidisciplinary Research Unit (MRU) of VIMSAR.

During the survey, the team will observe seroconversion on people who have received the COVID-19 vaccine jab.  Seroconversion is the time period during which a specific antibody develops and becomes detectable in the blood.

The study will help calculate the number of people required to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, so that the pandemic can be controlled, said an official of VIMSAR, said Dr Mishra.

Mishra further said  the research will provide additional data in support of the vaccine, which will be essential in the long run.