COVID-19 vaccination reduces hospitalisation by nearly 80%: Centre
Dr VK Paul said that good coverage of vaccines amongst the health care workers have saved thousands of lives of the health care workers in this pandemic.
New Delhi: Several studies of inoculated healthcare workers revealed that the chance of hospitalisation was reduced by nearly 80%, the government said on Friday.
The studies have come out from two prestigious healthcare institutions, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, and Christian Medical College, Vellore.
In a press briefing by the Union Health Ministry on Covid status on Friday, VK Paul, member (health), Niti Aayog, who heads the national task force on Covid, said “Vaccination offered a 75-80% risk reduction against hospitalisation from infection in vaccinated individuals, as compared to those unvaccinated. The possibility of oxygen requirement is around 8%, while the risk of ICU admission is just 6%. The protection is 94%."
These, Dr Paul said, are "reasonable" sample-sized studies, adding that these were conducted in age groups in which the risk of contracting Covid-19 is "maximum." Giving an example, he said that one particular study found one death out of 7000 cases and even then, the death took place as the deceased had comorbidities.
Further, he said, "Similar studies in other countries have also shown the protection vaccine gives. I request people to please accept the vaccine and not hesitate."
Among the staff members who received vaccines, no deaths were reported and only one staff member of the medical institution has died but he had had several comorbidities and did not receive the vaccine, the paper said.
The study from PGI, Chandigarh on the other hand showed that while there were 1.6% instances of breakthrough infections in vaccinated healthcare workers, vaccines offered significant protection against hospitalisation and death.
Healthcare workers and frontline workers were the first to receive Covid-19 vaccine shots as the nationwide vaccination drive against the viral disease commenced on January 16. A total of 268,960,399 vaccine doses have been administered across the country till now, including 3,259,003 in the last 24 hours, according to the Union ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) dashboard on Friday morning.
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