Delta variant infects both vaccinated, unvaccinated; reduces mortality among inoculated: ICMR study
The dominant circulating strain, Delta variant was one of the primary drivers for the second wave of SARS-CoV-2 in India.
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FollowA Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study conducted in Chennai has revealed that the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) has the potential to infect both vaccination individuals and those who have not been inoculated, however it reduces mortality rate among the former group.
The study indicated that the prevalence of B.1.617.2 (Delta variant) "was not different between the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups."
The Delta variant was one of the primary drivers for the second wave of SARS-CoV-2 in India, being the dominant circulating strain.
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Approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology, this study was published in the Journal of Infection on August 17, which enrolled 539 out of the 3,790 Covid-19 patients in Chennai between May 3 and 7 when the second wave was at its peak.
Quoting other studies that have documented a reduction in neutralisation titres among Covishield and Covaxin vaccine recipients after infection with the Delta variant, the published paper said, “This might be the reason for the breakthrough infections observed in the fully vaccinated individuals.”
According to a report in PTI, the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is unable to evade the antibodies generated by vaccination, according to a lab study.
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The data was shared with Tamil Nadu’s health department after the completion of the study in May. Non-pharmaceutical interventions must continue to slow down the transmission combined with speedy vaccination coverage, the report suggested.
The scale of vaccination and pace have to be boosted to alleviate the further waves of the pandemic. Systematic genomic surveillance must be carried out to monitor the emergence of newer variants and assess their capacity to evade infection/vaccine-induced immunity, the report added.
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