Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 which caused the deadly second wave in India during April-May this year can even infect a person who has taken both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, a new study revealed. The study was conducted in two Delhi hospitals by researchers from the INSACOG consortium, CSIR and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
The study found that though vaccination prevents the severity of the disease, there have been cases of breakthrough infection and that there is also a probable risk of onward transmission to potentially very vulnerable people.
The researchers who conducted the study analysed data on 113 breakthrough infections among healthcare workers. They constructed probable transmission networks from epidemiological and virus genome sequence data using a suite of computational approaches.
The findings of the study are a clear warning to the people who are becoming complacent after getting fully vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine. The pre-print study revealed that there was a high probability that doubly-vaccinated individuals transmitted SARS-CoV-2. And that’s not all. There were potential cases of virus transmission between individuals who had received two doses of the vaccine.
The study clearly highlights the need for ongoing infection control measures even in the highly vaccinated population. Experts suggest that even among the highly vaccinated population there was a need to strictly follow the COVID-19 protocols like wearing masks, sanitisation and maintaining social distancing.
