2 vaccine doses gave 95% protection from death against Covid-19's Delta variant: Centre

The study was conducted during the peak of the second wave of the pandemic, which was driven by the Delta variant, Niti Aayog member (health) Dr VK Paul said.

The Union health ministry of Friday cited a large-scale, real-life study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research and said that two doses of Covid-19 vaccines, irrespective of Covishield and Covaxin, were successful to extend 95 per cent protection from death. The study was conducted during the peak of the second wave of the pandemic, which was driven by the Delta variant, Niti Aayog member (health) Dr VK Paul said.

Both Covishield and Covaxin have ensured 95% protection from Covid-19 death, ICMR study has found. (HT_PRINT)

The study was done on 1,17,525 police personnel in Tamil Nadu. Among them, 17,059 received no vaccine and 20 succumbed to the infection. A total of 32,792 police personnel received only one dose and this group recorded seven deaths. Only four deaths were recorded in the third group of 67,673 people, who were vaccinated with both doses.

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"If we examine the findings, we see that one dose gave 82 per cent protection from death while two doses gave 95 per cent protection from Covid-19 death. This study was done on a high-risk population at a time when the pandemic was at its peak. And we all know that Delta was driving the peak of the second wave," Dr Paul said reiterating that vaccines are proving to be effective against Delta variant too.

First reported in India in October 2020, Delta has now spread in over 111 countries. Scientists have found further mutations of this variant in India, which has been named Delta Plus, another variant of concern. But government's experts have recently asserted that Delta Plus is unlikely to be as transmissible and severe as Delta is.