‘Only 3% of vaccinated health staff got Covid’

Fewer than 3% of health care workers who had received at least one dose of the Covishield vaccine contracted Covid-19, showed a study conducted by Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, highlighting the efficacy of the jabs.

Of the 3,235 health care workers surveyed over a 100-day period, only 85 contracted Covid-19, showed the study’s findings, a statement issued by the hospital said. Of these 85, 65 had received both doses of Covishield, while the remaining had received a single dose and were awaiting the second.

It was not immediately clear how many of those surveyed completed the two-dose regimen.

Dr Anupam Sibal, group medical director, Apollo Hospitals Group, and senior consultant of

NEW DELHI:

paediatric gastroenterology, said the study reaffirms the case for vaccinations, which he said protect substantially against serious illness.

“Our study demonstrates that 97.38% of those vaccinated were protected from an infection and hospitalisation rate was only 0.06%. The results of the study show that BTI [break through infection] occurs only in a small percentage and these are primarily minor infections that do not lead to severe disease. There were no ICU admissions or deaths,” he said.

Dr Raju Vaishya, senior consultant, orthopaedics, and one of the key authors of the study, added, “There are several factors that may be responsible for the BTI, including those related to the vaccine and human behaviour.”