COVID-19 vaccine likely to be less effective on obese people: Study

On the same day as Russia registered world's first vaccine to battle the Coronavirus, a study has confirmed that the COVID-19 vaccine might not prove effective on obese people. The study commissioned by researchers in the United States has stated that the ramifications of COVID-19 worsen in people with high Body Mass Index (BMI). Analyzing the BMI of 812 patients suffering from the virus, including recovered cases, the study found 82% who died were obese. 

READ | Russia Names ‘world’s First’ COVID-19 Vaccine After First Earth Satellite ‘Sputnik’

In their final report, the researchers concluded that obese people were more vulnerable to the Coronavirus. They further said obesity can lead to severe inflammation by pushing the body’s immune responses. This can make the body weaker in the fight against the virus.

READ | 'India Likely To Have COVID-19 Vaccine By December', Says Serum Institute's CEO Poonawalla

“It is not a question of not working, it is more of a question of efficacy,” said Dr Chad Petit, an assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “In other words, the vaccine could work but it may not be as effective,” he added. Another report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also reiterated that obesity-related conditions seem to worsen the effect of COVID-19.

Russia announces first vaccine

During a meeting via video link on Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin announced on August 11 that the health ministry has approved the world’s first coronavirus vaccine. The world’s first clinically approved vaccine against the novel coronavirus has been manufactured by the Gamaleya Research Institute in collaboration with the Russian Health Ministry. Putin said that his daughter has already received the vaccination, adding that she had a mild temperature after she was vaccinated but it quickly went away. Russia has named its new COVID-19 vaccine after Sputnik, the first artificial Earth satellite launched by the erstwhile Soviet Union on October 4, 1957. 

READ | Indonesia To Begin Human Trials Of COVID-19 Vaccine By China's Sinovac Biotech

READ | COVID-19 Vaccine 'Covishield' To Be Made In India By Dec 2020, Will Be Priced At Rs 1,000