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?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only
Statements 2 and 3 are correct. Sputnik V is a vector vaccine and COVAXIN is a whole-virus inactivated vaccine. Statement 1 is wrong because Covishield, made by the Serum Institute of India, is a viral-vector vaccine (adenovirus carrier), not an mRNA vaccine.
- ✗ 1. Covishield is the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine produced in India by the Serum Institute. It uses a weakened chimpanzee adenovirus as a carrier, so it is a viral-vector vaccine. No mRNA is involved.
- ✓ 2. Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac) from Russia's Gamaleya Institute is a combined vector vaccine given in two components.
- ✓ 3. COVAXIN by Bharat Biotech, developed with ICMR-NIV, uses a whole-virion inactivated Vero-cell platform: dead virus that cannot infect but still trains the immune system.
Remember · Covishield and Sputnik V: viral-vector vaccines. COVAXIN: inactivated whole virus. ZyCoV-D: DNA. mRNA is the Pfizer and Moderna type.
Sources
- PIB, Marking the first year of COVID-19 Vaccination (Internet Archive copy) ↗ “The COVISHIELD vaccine contains a weakened strain of a common cold virus (adenovirus) from chimpanzees. … COVAXIN uses an inactivated virus platform, Zycov-D is a DNA vaccine, Covishield a viral vector vaccine”
- PIB, National Regulator grants permission for restricted use in emergency situations to Sputnik-V vaccine (Internet Archive copy) ↗ “import and market Gam-COVID-Vac combined vector vaccine, popularly called Sputnik-V, developed by M/s Gamaleya Institute, Russia”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·