India's first COVID vaccine for animals launched: Ancovax is here

Not just humans, now animals too in India would be inoculated against COVID-19, with the Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar launching the country's first homegrown vaccine Ancovax for the species at an event on Thursday. Developed by the ICAR-National Research Centre on Equines (NRC) in Hisar, Haryana, the Ancovax Vaccine is an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine for animals. The immunity induced by Ancovax neutralizes both Delta and Omicron Variants of SARS-CoV-2.

The Vaccine contains inactivated SARS-CoV-2 (Delta) antigen with Alhydrogel as an adjuvant. It is safe for dogs, lions, leopards, mice, and rabbits.

“The Council’s scientists’ unparalleled contributions have made the country succeed not only in essential crops’ production but, in the various fields of agricultural and allied sciences as well at the global level,” said Mr Tomar, after the virtual launch of the COVID-19 vaccine and diagnostic kits for animals developed by the ICAR-NRC. 

CAN-CoV-2 ELISA kit- for antibody detection against COVID

Besides Ancovax, Tomar launched the 'CAN-CoV-2 ELISA kit' -- a sensitive and specific nucleocapsid protein-based indirect ELISA kit -- for antibody detection against COVID in canines. ''There are no laboratory animals required for the preparation of the antigens. The kit is made in India and a patent has been filed for the same. No other comparable kits for detection of antibodies in canines are available in the market,'' the ICAR said. 

ICAR Director General Trilochan Mohapatra, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Secretary Atul Chaturvedi, and ICAR Deputy Director General (Animal Science) Bhupendra Nath Tripathi were also present at the launch.

Studies suggest that the virus is predominantly transmitted between people through respiratory droplets and close contact, but there are also examples of transmission between humans and animals. Several animals that have been in contact with infected humans, such as minks, dogs, domestic cats, lions, and tigers, have tested positive for COVID-19.

In 2021, a nine-year-old lioness has died after testing positive for COVID-19 at a zoo in Chennai, in what was believed to be the first reported death of an animal in the country due to the virus.