Full dose of Covid vaccines offers 98% protection against death, Centre cites study

NEW DELHI: Senior government officials on Friday said both doses of vaccines provide at least 98% protection from Covid-19 death, citing a study carried out by the PGIMER, Chandigarh, in association with the Punjab government. 

This real-life study has been carried out among police personnel of the state. 

The researcher showed that 15 deaths were reported among 4,868 non-vaccinated persons while this figure fell to 9 among 35,856 people who had received one dose. 

The number of deaths fell to only 2 among 42,720 individuals who had received both their doses, said VK Paul, member (health), Niti Aayog, and chairman of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid. 

In other words, while the incidence of death was 3.08 per thousand population in the unvaccinated, it was 0.25 per thousand in those with partial vaccination and 0.005 per thousand in those fully vaccinated. 

In relative terms, this study showed that partial vaccination offered 92 % protection from death due to Covid19 in those with one dose of vaccination and 98 % protection from death in those who were fully vaccinated. 

Last month, citing the first studies from India from healthcare workers, Paul had underlined that Covid19 vaccines offer substantial risk reduction against hospitalisation, ICU care, and the need for oxygen.   

These studies had come out from PGI, Chandigarh, and Christian Medical College, Vellore, and showed that vaccination offered a 75-80 % risk reduction against hospitalisation from infection in vaccinated individuals, as compared to those unvaccinated. 

The government is repeatedly citing the findings from such studies to give an impetus to its ongoing Covid vaccination drive and remove the vaccine hesitancy from a section of people.

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