Both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are 98 per cent effective in preventing death due to the Coronavirus, NITI Aayog member (health) VK Paul said on Friday. He cited the study conducted by the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, in association with the Punjab government. The study also found that a single dose of vaccination provided 92 per cent protection against death due to the virus.
The Study
PGIMER conducted a real-life study on police personnel. A total of 42,720 police personnel received both doses of the vaccine. Only two deaths were reported among them, which translates to 0.05 deaths per thousand.
Then out of the 35,856 who were given only the first dose of the vaccine, nine personnel died. It means 0.25 deaths per thousand people. Finally, the group that was not administered even a single dose of vaccine consisted of 4,868 police personnel. Among them, 15 deaths were reported, which translates to 3.08 deaths per thousand.
The study was conducted on Police personnel because they belong to the high-risk group.
Police personnel fall into the high-risk group. From these numbers, we find that one dose offers 92 per cent protection from death while both doses give 98 per cent protection," Mr Paul said, reported by NDTV.
Real Life Efficacy Of Vaccines
Commenting on the effectiveness of the vaccines, Dr Paul further said that similar results were found in a CMC Vellore study done on healthcare workers.
"There can be minor illnesses after vaccination, but vaccines eliminate the possibility of serious illness and death. This instils faith in our vaccine. We always talk about other vaccines but these studies reveal that our vaccines in real life are effective against Covid death," Dr Paul said.
Recent studies have also shown that vaccination can prevent hospitalisation by 75 to 80 per cent.
To vaccinate the maximum number of people in a short duration, the government started an accelerated vaccination drive from June 21. The government is focusing on real-life studies to cement the trust of people in vaccination.
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