Fall in Hospitalisation, ICU Admission: Data Shows 94% Protection Against Covid in Vaccinated Healthworkers

The preliminary data from the vaccination drive among healthcare workers facing the second wave of Covid-19 shows a reduced need for hospitalisation, oxygen therapy, and ICU admission, says Dr VK Paul who heads the Covid-19 task force.

Dr Paul highlighted that the role of vaccines in preventing ICU admission was as high as 94 percent thus showing that vaccines offer protection against severe infection among high-risk groups. He was referring to the data from Christian Medical College in Vellore where 8,991 healthcare workers were vaccinated, including those who received only one dose, a report in The Indian Express said.

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“There are studies emerging from India that show protection after vaccination. There are two such studies on healthcare workers, who are the high-risk groups. Studies show that after vaccination, the need for hospitalisation reduces by 75-80 per cent. Even after you get an infection after receiving the dose, according to the data, the chance of hospitalisation was just around 20 per cent,” Dr Paul reportedly said.

Dr Paul also said that the possibility of the requirement of oxygen was just 8 percent, and the rick of serious ICU admission was just 6 per cent. He added that the protection becomes 94 percent.

“This is powerful data from a reasonable size study because it was done where the risk of getting the infection was highest. And in one study, out of the 7000, there was just one death; even that person had comorbidities. It clearly shows vaccines offer protection, especially from serious disease,” Paul added.

Paul was referring to the CMC’s study, according to which, incidence of symptomatic Covid-19 among healthcare workers where 1,350 were tested positive and 33 developed the infection within two weeks of the second vaccine dose between February 21 and May 19. The study also highlighted that the only staff member who died had multiple co-morbidities and had not taken the vaccine.

It added that out of 7,080 fully vaccinated healthcare workers, 679 developed Covid-19 47 days after the second dose.

“The protective effect of vaccination in preventing infection, hospitalisation, need for oxygen and ICU admission were 65 per cent, 77 per cent, 92 per cent, and 94 per cent, respectively,” the study said.

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