Vaccine effectiveness of 99.3% seen in individuals fully inoculated against Covid: Mandaviya

NEW DELHI, 4 Feb: Vaccine effectiveness of 99.3 percent has been seen in individuals fully inoculated against the coronavirus, according to the data uploaded on India Covid-19 Tracker till 2 January, the Lok Sabha was told on Friday.

Responding to a question, union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has developed the India Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker by merging mainly three national databases – CoWIN, National Covid-19 testing database and Covid-19 India portal.

The tracker depicts vaccine effectiveness against death – the ability of vaccines to reduce death – using person time analysis from 12 April, 2021 to 2 January, 2022.

“The tracker is updated periodically and displays the effectiveness of partial and full vaccination against Covid-19. The latest data analyzed and uploaded till 2 January, 2022 depicts vaccine effectiveness of 99.3 percent in fully vaccinated individuals against Covid-19,” Mandaviya said in a written reply.

The data are analyzed and presented as per the reports submitted by respective state governments. The Omicron variant is the dominant variant in the country presently.

Whole genome sequencing for the Omicron variant is done for all RT-PCR positive samples from international travellers arriving since 28 November, 2021. Further, for in-country sequencing RT-PCR positive samples having CT value of less than 25 are referred from sentinel sites in various states regularly, Mandaviya said.

“The government of India is supporting states in their endeavour to manage Covid-19 since the beginning of pandemic. Given the emergence of mutated variants with variable impact on transmissibility, virulence and effectiveness of vaccines, likelihood of resurgence of Covid-19 trajectory in the country is monitored by various expert committees under Indian Council of Medical Research, directorate general of health services and other relevant ministries and departments,” he said. (PTI)