says PHE in its latest analysis.
‘Delta variant of COVID-19 is found to be 60% more transmissible. However, it is reported that among 93% of individuals who received Covishield, the vaccinated individuals are better protected when compared with unvaccinated individuals.’
Further analysis also shows that vaccine effectiveness against Delta is higher after two doses but that there is a reduction for Delta compared to Alpha, thereby laying out uncertainty in vaccine effectiveness after two doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
However, with the increasing numbers of Delta variants across the country, two doses of vaccination are recommended as the best defense strategy against the virus along with COVID- public health advice.
COVID-19 Vaccination & its Efficacy
Another study published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings shows that among 93% who received Covishield, the vaccinated individuals are better protected when compared to unvaccinated individuals.
The study was conducted among a total of 8991 (84.8%) healthcare workers who were vaccinated between January 21 and April 30, 2021. A majority of them (nearly 8,400) received Covishield. The incidence of infection and hospitalization was studied between February 21 and May 19. While not a single death was reported among the 8,958 vaccinated individuals, there was one death among the 1,609 unvaccinated healthcare workers.
The study found that among the 7,080 healthcare workers who received two doses, the vaccines offered 65% protection against infection, 77% protection against hospitalization, 92% protection against the need for oxygen, and 94% protection from ICU admission. Among the fully vaccinated individuals, infection was seen on average 47 days after the second dose.
The study also suggests that even a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine offered significantly high protection against both infection (61%) and hospitalisation (70%).
Among the 1,609 healthcare workers who had not received any vaccination, 438 (27.2%) got infected, while 64 (4%) needed hospitalization. Eleven (0.7%) individuals who did not get any vaccine needed oxygen support and eight (0.5%) needed ICU care.
“Vaccines are working well! Good against infection (in healthcare settings where there is a high risk of transmission), great against severe disease,” tweeted Professor of Microbiology at CMC Vellore Dr. Gagandeep Kang. She is not involved in the study.
The study thereby predicts that future waves of COVID-19 can be best prevented or at worst mitigated through aggressive and widespread vaccination.
Source: Medindia
