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 ?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only ✓ UPSC's answer
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Why the answer is (b)
• Statement 1 is wrong: Covishield, made by the Serum Institute under licence from Oxford–AstraZeneca, is a viral-vector vaccine using a chimpanzee adenovirus, not an mRNA vaccine (mRNA vaccines are Pfizer–BioNTech and Moderna).
• Statement 2 is correct: Russia's Sputnik V uses two human adenovirus vectors (Ad26 and Ad5) to deliver the spike-protein gene.
• Statement 3 is correct: Covaxin, developed by Bharat Biotech with ICMR, is a whole-virion inactivated vaccine.
• Hence 2 and 3 only, option (b).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- Statement 1 is wrong: Covishield is a viral-vector vaccine, not mRNA.
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- Statement 1 is wrong; statement 3 is correct.
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
- Statement 1 is wrong, so all three cannot be correct.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2022, held on 5 June 2022. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.