Doctors of Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR), Burla will conduct a study on the impact of COVID-19 vaccines and how it helps the creation of antibodies after people were inoculated, officials said. The study will be conducted in conjunction with scientists of Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), Bhubaneswar.

The state health research committee has already given its nod for the research which will be conducted for a period of 12 months, an official said. The objective of the study is to observe seroconversion on the population, who have been vaccinated, to calculate the numbers of people required to be vaccinated for herd immunity, so that we will be able to control the pandemic, said Dr Sanjeeb Mishra, principal investigator of the study.

Seroconversion is the time period during which a specific antibody develops and becomes detectable in the blood. After seroconversion has occurred the antibodies can be detected in blood tests for the disease. The team of doctors of VIMSAR, who will conduct the study, includes Sanjeeb Mishra, principal investigator and tutor of department of community medicine, and co- investigators from doctors various other departments of VIMSAR.

Mishra said, whenever a new vaccine is launched, Odisha gets it much later than other states of the country. However, the COVID-19 vaccine drive was launched throughout India in a single day allowing for this research here. It is a unique opportunity for us. Bimal Panda, who is also Nodal Officer of the MRU, said, this is the first indigenous research project of the MRU of VIMSAR. We have already started making our laboratory ready for the study, he said.

Since the emergence of COVID-19 and declaration of Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the entire world has been eagerly waiting for a vaccine for its prevention. While two vaccines namely Covishield and Covaxin have been given emergency approval for restricted use in India, results from large scale trials are still awaited.