BENGALURU: Around 18,842 breakthrough Covid-19 infections and 130 deaths were reported in Karnataka, as per data available with the Health and Family Welfare department. The ‘breakthrough’ cases refer to infections despite taking the Covid vaccine. The data is collected by health officers who call patients and hospitals and hence, this data is not entirely accurate, officials said.
“In Karnataka, 89 per cent of the population is vaccinated with the first dose. The number of breakthrough infections, their severity and number of fatalities is low, compared to what we saw in the second wave. After taking two doses, breakthrough infections are even fewer. People should come forward and take both vaccine doses as Covid-19 hasn’t yet gone,” said Dr Arundhathi Chandrashekar, managing director, National Health Mission.
She said people need to get tested if they report symptoms despite taking the vaccine, as there is a chance of spreading the virus to others. The available data does not show whether the breakthrough infections happened after the first or second dose. The department is trying to put together a system, wherein breakthrough cases are integrated with Covid-19 war room data to ensure accuracy.
At Victoria Hospital, doctors observed that the severity of the disease was very mild in those who were vaccinated with both doses. “These patients did not require admission. In only one or two cases were people admitted to the ICU, resulting in one death. Those who received only one dose needed admission. Breakthrough infections may not be a sign of waning vaccine immunity but may be due to a different strain of the virus, or may depend on individual immunity,” shared Dr Smitha Segu, nodal officer for Covid-19 at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, of which Victoria Hospital is a part.
We need clarity if the 130 breakthrough deaths happened after the first dose or second dose, pointed out Dr C Nagaraj, member of the Covid-19 Technical Advisory Committee and director of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases.
“The deaths post vaccine are negligible in number. People may get infected but it is not severe. Instead of concentrating on booster doses, the state intends to focus on getting more people vaccinated with the second dose, as coverage is less than 50 per cent now. People need to be motivated to take the second dose,” Dr Nagaraj said.