Covid vaccines currently in use in India reduce the chance of hospitalisation or mortality in case of breakthrough infections (or infections that occur after at least one dose of the vaccine), according to the results of an ICMR-funded study. The study, which is pending peer review, comes amid some concern that existing COVID-19 vaccines may be less effective against newer (more aggressive) variants of the virus - such as the 'delta' and 'delta plus' that have been reported from across India. 

The study found that 677 RT-PCR samples collected from 17 states/UTs tested positive for COVID-19 after receiving at least one dose of a Covid vaccine - either Covishield or Covaxin. Specifically, 592 were infected after receiving both doses and 85 after getting one dose.  The study also revealed a majority of the breakthrough infections were of the 'delta' variant. Other variants found included 'alpha' and 'kappa'.

The authors conducted telephonic interviews to establish 9.8 per cent, or 67 individuals, required hospitalisation, and only 0.4 per cent, or three cases, resulted in fatalities, NDTV reported.

"This clearly suggests vaccination provides reduction in hospital admission and mortality," the authors concluded, adding, "... continuous monitoring of post-vaccination breakthrough infections with clinical severity of disease must be adopted as essential component of vaccine roll-out by all countries."

Of the total samples, 527 were from people who had received both doses of Covishield and 63 had received both doses of Covaxin.

Of the remaining 85 samples, 77 were from people who had received one dose of Covishield and eight were from those who had received one dose of Covaxin.

There were two samples that had received both doses of the Chinese vaccine Sinopharm.

India has administered around 400 million doses of Covid vaccines so far, covering a little over 5 per cent of the eligible population of 900 million people, with about 20 per cent being vaccinated with one dose. On Friday morning 38,949 new COVID-19 cases and 542 deaths were reported from the past 24 hours across India (SAM).