Omicron bivalent jab would’ve incremental advantage: Virologist

As the Covid-19 virus continues to change, vaccines are also keeping pace and here bivalent means targeting two strains of the virus.

Dr Gagandeep Kang

NOTED VIROLOGIST and professor at Christian Medical College (CMC) Dr Gagandeep Kang on Friday highlighted the importance of clinical severity data to understand which Omicron variants and sub-variants need to be watched out for.

An Omicron bivalent vaccine would have an incremental advantage as a booster compared to a booster of other vaccines based only on older viral strains” Dr Kang who is a panelist at a session `roadmap to future vaccines’ to be held on Saturday (Oct 22) on the concluding day of the 23rd annual general meeting of the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers’ Network told The Indian Express.

“Also, an Omicron bivalent vaccine would have an incremental advantage,” Dr Kang, who is a panellist in the ‘Roadmap to future vaccines’ session to be held on October 22 on the concluding day of the 23rd annual general meeting of the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers’ Network, told The Indian Express.

Interim results of a study published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine in October this year has shown that bivalent omicron-containing vaccines had elicited neutralizing antibody responses against omicron without evident safety concerns, and other effectiveness studies have shown 6-20% greater protection with bivalent mRNA vaccines at least for a short time.

As the Covid-19 virus continues to change, vaccines are also keeping pace and here bivalent means targeting two strains of the virus. She said that an Omicron bivalent vaccine would have an incremental advantage. Interim results of a study published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine this month have shown that bivalent Omicron-containing vaccines had elicited neutralising antibody responses against Omicron without evident safety concerns.

Presently, tracking cases of severity is important in the event of any new variant, according to Dr Kang.

Dr Kang was elected to the US-based National Academy of Medicine “for her outstanding contributions to understand and improve child health through her research in enteric infectious diseases and vaccinology over decades benefiting children in India and low- and middle-income countries, and more recently to vaccine science, vaccination policy, and communication during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic”. Established in 1970, the National Academy of Medicine addresses critical issues in health, science, medicine, and related policy.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories

Tags:
COVID-19