It took a year - if we disregard Russias Covid-19 vaccine named 'Sputnik V' invented in April 2020 but met with worldwide scepticism - for the roll-out of vaccines to fight the insidious covid-19 disease that raged havoc across the world. Five months since the advent of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine - which garnered an official stamp of approval from WHO in Dec 2020 - there has been copious other vaccines invented by countries that have tried to gain clout in the inoculation department. With copious vaccines touting the same Covid immunity spiel, it’s probably wise to get educated about these vaccines and their efficacy rates. Here is a comparison of COVID-19 vaccines that are currently available in the market and their efficacy rates in inoculation. 

Pfizer vaccine - The American vaccine that got an official nod of approval by the WHO in December 2020, was the first vaccine to be considered safe to administer against Covid-19. With an efficacy rate of 95 per cent, It is a safe vaccine with mostly mild-to-moderate side effects and has to be administered in two full doses in 21 days intervals. It is available in most countries - US, UK, Africa - but is not available in India. The Pfizer covid-19 vaccine is expected to be available in India by July.

Moderna COVID-19 vaccine - This vaccine tout mostly mild-to-moderate side effects with an efficacy rate of 94 per cent when administered in two doses. There is a 28-day wait between the first and the second dose. Although available in most western countries, it has not been approved in India. 

Johnson & Johnson Vaccine - This controversial vaccine initially boasted a high efficacy rate but further investigations revealed that this was only 66 per cent effective against the virus. The vaccine was initially quite popular among the masses since it required a single dose as opposed to two doses that are standard dosage in most vaccines.

Covaxin - Developed locally by Bharat Biotech against the SARS-CoV-2 strain, Covaxin was considered a safe vaccine with an efficacy of 81 per cent, mostly mild-to-moderate side effects until a recent report that revealed that there was a lack of transparency in the clinical studies. They were asked to provide a full report before they are rendered safe for the masses. Until then they will only be used under emergency authorisation.

Covishield - Developed by AstraZeneca-Oxford University and made by the Serum Institute of India, Covishield is a safe vaccine with mostly mild-to-moderate side effects. Covishield efficacy is at 82.4 per cent when the two doses are administered with an interim of 12 weeks. This vaccine is considered safe in most parts of the world and is also approved in India.

Sinopharm and Sinovac: These are Chinese vaccines that have low efficacy rates compared to other vaccines. Sinopharm claims to have 79 per cent efficacy and Sinovac of about 50 per cent. They are quite popular in China but not in other countries.

The Sputnik V vaccine: This Russian Vaccine developed by Russia's Gamelya Center and backed by the Russian government claims an efficacy of 91 per cent. They require two full doses between 21 days gap between the first and the second dose. India presently does not subscribe to this particular vaccine.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 25, 2021 01:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).