Over 6,000 Fully-Vaccinated People In Mumbai Got COVID-19: Here¡¯s Why

Over 6,000 people in Mumbai contracted COVID-19 after they were fully vaccinated, reveals a novel survey conducted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

Reuters

Also Read: Vaccinated People Three Times Less Likely To Get Covid Delta Variant, Claims Study

Reported first by Free Press Journal, as per the data collected, 6,504 were reinfected after taking both doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

BMC highlights that it is understood that no vaccine can provide 100 percent protection from any disease. BMC Executive Health Officer, Dr Mangala Gomare said that as per the data only 1.5 percent of the people who got both the doses suffered from the novel coronavirus.

Most of them experienced mild symptoms with only some requiring ICU care. Gomare also highlighted that there was no info on the number of fatalities on the individuals who got both doses. According to Gomare, they¡¯ll learn more about the whole situation as the survey progresses.

A senior doctor from BMC¡¯s health department highlighted that the data collection exercise involved asking hospitals to track Covid patients who were admitted as well as data collection from people who were home isolated, which was collected by BMC representatives present in their COVID War Rooms.

An official said in a statement, ¡°These numbers indicate that vaccines are effective in preventing serious infection in a majority of the population. The absolute numbers may rise once hospitalised patients are accounted for. That data is being compiled.¡±

Reuters

Also Read: COVID-19 Vaccines Are Game Changer And Reinfections Are Extremely Rare, Claims Expert

Why could the breakthrough infection be happening?

According to an article by the Centres for Disease Control, breakthrough infections are to be expected, not just in the case of COVID-19, but vaccines for other diseases too. It highlights that in the case of COVID-19, the vaccine¡¯s main goal is to reduce the impact of COVID-19 and prevent it from causing a serious illness, making the impact less life-threatening.

So just because breakthrough infections occur, doesn¡¯t mean the vaccines aren¡¯t effective. This was also highlighted by BMC Immunisation Officer Dr Sheela Jagtap while requesting vaccinated folks to wear a mask and avoid crowds to keep themselves and the people around them safe.

Alternatively one needs to understand that these vaccines were developed for emergency use, in a strict timeline, which otherwise takes years to undergo approval, so there was no time to perfect the vaccine to protect it against breakthrough infections.

Also Read: Unvaccinated People 29 Times More Likely To Be Hospitalised From Covid, Finds Study

This point was highlighted by another senior BMC Covid Taskforce official, where he explained, ¡°In a conventional vaccine timetable, it would take years to develop a vaccine but these are early generation fast-tracked vaccines and we need more data and strong pharmacovigilance to get a better insight on their effectiveness. Better and more effective vaccines will be eventually developed that will reduce the rate of breakthrough infections.¡±

Reuters

The third and most important factor that we all tend to miss out on is that the virus is mutating and evolving. We¡¯re seeing different variants of the novel coronavirus, whether it was the UK variant, the Brazil variant or the most recent Delta variant that¡¯s wreaking havoc.

Also Read: Only 4 In 10,000 People Got COVID-19 Infection After Vaccine Dose, Says ICMR

Vaccine developers are trying their best to tweak their vaccines to protect them against the mutations, but sometimes the advanced Covid variant manages to fool the vaccine¡¯s protections to cause a breakthrough infection.

Future booster doses and regular vaccination drives would ensure safety from the novel coronavirus and its eventual elimination.

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