‘Very Small Numbers’: Govt Shares Data on Post Vaccine Infections

The Government on Wednesday, 21 April, released data on the number of infections recorded after COVID-19 vaccination.

Referring to these infections as “breakthrough infections”, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Balram Bhargava said:

"“Two to four per 10,000 breakthrough infections of COVID-19 have occurred after vaccination.”" "“This is a very small number. This is because of the healthcare and other frontline workers who were first to be vaccinated and they are prone to more occupational exposure and therefore this is the number. This is a very, very small number...not at all worrisome and vaccinations should continue.” "

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As per the freshly released data:

• Out of 93,56,436 beneficiaries who received the first dose of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, 4,208 (or 0.04%) tested positive for COVID-19 and out of 17,37,178 who received both shots of the vaccine, 695 (or 0.04%) contracted the disease.

• Serum Institute of India’s Covishield vaccine: Out of 10,03,02,745 recipients of the first shot, 17,145 (or 0.02%) tested positive for COVID-19. Out of 1,57,32,754 who took both shots, 5,014 (or 0.03%) tested positive.

• Serum Institute’s Covishield comprised more than 90% of the 12.76 crore coronavirus vaccines administered in India. Of the 12,76,05,870 COVID-19 shots administered so far, 11,60,65,107 were of Covishield and 1,15,40,763 were of Covaxin, the Central government’s COWIN portal showed.

Bhargava further said, “The current highly transmissible second wave may also contribute little bit or miniscule to this percentage (of those who tested positive after the second dose of Covishield versus those who tested positive after first), otherwise this could have been even zero percent.”

India, on Wednesday morning reported 2,95,041 fresh COVID-19 cases — the highest one-day spike so far. As many as 2,023 COVID fatalities and 1,67,457 discharges in 24 hours were recorded, as per the Union Health Ministry. The total case tally has now reached 1,56,16,130 with 21,57,538 active patients and 1,82,553 deaths. The total number of recoveries, meanwhile, stands at 1,32,76,039.

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