India's first Omicron-specific booster vaccine launched

Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh launched mRNA-based Covid Booster Vaccine - GEMCOVAC-OM in New Delhi on Saturday. The vaccine is the first booster COVID-19 vaccine developed in India against the highly transmissible Omicron variant. The vaccine will be rolled out from this Monday and it will cost two thousand 292 rupees per dose. The booster vaccine can be administered to individuals who have received two doses of either Covaxin or Covishield. The booster vaccine can be administered to individuals who have received two doses of either Covaxin or Covishield. 
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Singh said, the government has always supported technology-driven innovation towards the creation of a future-ready technology platform in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. He said, this future-ready technology platform can be used to make other vaccines in a relatively short timeline. The Minister said, steady investments made by the Government have created a strong entrepreneurship as well as a Startup ecosystem which has facilitated government response against the mitigation of the pandemic.
The vaccine can be stored at 2 to 8 degrees Centigrade. It has demonstrated robust immune responses in phase - 3 clinical trials conducted at 20 centres across 13 cities in India. GEMCOVAC-OM is a needle-free, thermostable vaccine, which does not require ultra-cold chain infrastructure used for other approved mRNA-based vaccines, making it easy for deployment pan India. The vaccine does not need ultra-low temperature conditions for transport and storage. It has received emergency use authorization from the office of the Drugs Controller General of India for the Omicron variant. The vaccine has been developed under the mission COVID Suraksha.