ICMR data on breakthrough infections show Delta variant predominant; 3 died post vaccination

Indian Council of Medical Research has published its first-ever data on breakthrough infections in India shows that a vast majority of such cases, 89 per cent, involved infection by the Delta variant. The study was conducted by the Pune-based National Institute of Virology. Genome analysis of the SARS-CoV2 virus from 677 people who got infected even after taking the vaccine. The study showed,

* 482 of the 677 cases (71 per cent) were symptomatic

* 71 people (9.8 per cent) required hospitalisation

* Three of the 677 people who died

* Fever was the most consistent symptom in the infected people, experienced by 69 per cent of the respondents. Body ache, headache and nausea were reported by 56 per cent of infected people, cough by 45 per cent, sore throat by 37 per cent, loss of smell and taste by 22 per cent, diarrhoea by 6 per cent, breathlessness by 6 per cent and ocular irritation and redness by one per cent.

* 604 of the 677 (89 per cent) infected had received the Covishield vaccine, 71 (10.5 per cent) had taken Covaxin. Two people had taken Sinopharm.

* People from southern, western, eastern and north-western regions of the country predominantly reported breakthrough infections from Delta and Kappa variants

* People in northern and central regions reported such infections due to Alpha, Delta and Kappa variants.