ICMR: 2 doses of COVID-19 vaccine 97.5% effective in averting mortality across age groups

The effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines available in India in preventing death after two doses is 97.5 percent, ICMR Director General Dr.Balram Bhargava revealed. Addressing a press briefing on Thursday, he mentioned that an analysis of vaccination data from April 18 to August 15 had also shown that even one dose of the vaccine is 96.6% effective in averting mortality. The Health Ministry will soon unveil a tracker of real-time inoculation data which will combine the databases of its novel coronavirus portal and the CoWIN platform. 

Bhargava explained that the vaccine effectiveness has been amply demonstrated across three age groups-18-44, 45-59 and above 60. Weighing in on the possibility of getting infected with COVID-19 after being administered two doses, he added, "These vaccines are disease-modifying vaccines. They are not disease-preventing vaccines. So, breakthrough infections will occur even after vaccination and that is why, we keep recommending all the time that continue to use the mask, continue the COVID-19 appropriate behaviour". 

COVID-19 vaccination in India

Apart from Covishield and Covaxin, the Drugs Controller General of India has approved Sputnik V, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine, and Zydus Cadila's ZyCoV-D. From June 21 onwards, the Centre started procuring 75% of the vaccine stock and distributing it to the states for free. The vaccination drive is gaining pace with more than 180 million jabs being administered in August which is more than all G7 nations put together.  A total of 55,23,01,064 persons have been inoculated whereas 17,07,20,103 of them have received the second dose of the vaccine too.

As per a new ICMR study, persons who have been previously infected with COVID-19 might need to take only a single dose of Covaxin. In this research, blood samples were collected from 114 healthcare professionals and frontline workers who received Covaxin at vaccination centres in Chennai from February to May this year. It found that the participants who had contracted the novel coronavirus in the past and taken one dose had similar antibody levels to those who were fully inoculated without a history of COVID-19.

Thus, the ICMR observed that persons with no prior SARS-CoV-2 infection can be prioritized to complete the two doses of Covaxin. However, it noted that these preliminary findings have to be confirmed with large-sized cohort studies in order to reach a definite conclusion. It also stressed that both vaccine doses would be ideal even for previously infected individuals owing to the occurrence of variants of concern.