Original article / research
Evaluation of Antibody Response to Two Doses of Covishield Vaccine with a 5-Week Gap between Doses after 21 Days Post Second Dose: A Cross-sectional Study
Correspondence Address :
Dr. Mangala N Sirsikar,
Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, #82, Nallurahalli, Whitefield, Bangalore-560066, Karnataka, India.
E-mail: mangalans81@gmail.com
Introduction: The Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) resulted in unprecedented global morbidity and mortality. Covishield (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19), a recombinant chimpanzee adenoviral vector vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India under licence from Oxford-AstraZeneca, was the primary vaccine used in India’s national COVID-19 immunisation programme that commenced on 16 January 2021. Although most studies have evaluated 4-week or extended 8-12 week dosing intervals, real-world evidence regarding the immunogenicity of an intermediate 5-week dosing schedule remains limited, representing an important gap in knowledge.
Aim: To evaluate the SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody response 21 days after the second dose of Covishield vaccine administered with a 5-week interval and to assess its association with age, sex, and co-morbidities among healthcare workers at Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Bengaluru, India.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted at Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre (VIMS and RC), a tertiary care teaching hospital in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, between March and June 2022. A total of 326 vaccinated healthcare workers were enrolled; 324 were analysed (2 excluded due to equivocal results). Participants included healthcare workers and hospital staff who received two doses of Covishield with a 5-week (35-day) inter-dose inter-val. SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies against the spike protein were measured 21 days after the second dose using Chemiluminescent Immunoassay (CLIA). Spearman’s rank correlation assessed the association between age and antibody levels; Mann-Whitney U test was used for gender and co-morbidity comparisons. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: Out of total 324 participants, 171 (52.8%) were male and 153 (47.2%) female, with a mean age of 36.8±11.2 years. Detectable IgG antibodies (≥1 S/CO) were observed in 320 participants (98.8%). The median IgG titre was 4.84 S/CO (IQR: 2.00-13.90); mean 11.20±14.56 S/CO. The IgG distribution was significantly right-skewed (Shapiro-Wilk p-value<0.0001). Spearman’s rank correlation showed no significant association between age and IgG levels (ρ=0.106, p-value=0.057; R²=0.011). No statistically significant difference was observed in antibody levels based on sex (U=13,005.000, p-value=0.856) or co-morbidity status (U=1,656.500, p-value=0.058).
Conclusion: Two doses of Covishield administered with a 5-week interval induced a robust humoural immune response in 98.8% of participants. Antibody levels were independent of age, sex, and co-morbidity status, indicating consistent immunogenicity across demographic and clinical subgroups in this working-age healthcare worker cohort.
Neutralising antibodies, Occupational exposure, Serologic tests, Vaccination schedule, Vaccine immunogenicity
DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2026/88586.23741
Date of Submission: Feb 26, 2026
Date of Peer Review: Apr 14, 2026
Date of Acceptance: May 04, 2026
Date of Publishing: Jul 01, 2026
AUTHOR DECLARATION:
• Financial or Other Competing Interests: None
• Was Ethics Committee Approval obtained for this study? Yes
• Was informed consent obtained from the subjects involved in the study? Yes
• For any images presented appropriate consent has been obtained from the subjects. NA
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ETYMOLOGY: Author Origin
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