NEW DELHI: COVID-19 vaccines reduce the chances of developing severe infection and mortality, ICMR Chief Balram Bhargava said on Tuesday.
Responding to a question about people contracting the coronavirus infection even after taking both doses of COVID vaccine, he said these are "disease-modifying" vaccines and there is an 85 percent reduction in hospitalisation after vaccination which is well established internationally.
"These vaccines are disease-modifying. After two doses are administered, the antibodies develop. The COVID-19 vaccines reduce the chances of developing severe infection and death due to the disease," the ICMR Director General said.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is the country's apex health research body. Currently, two vaccines -- Covaxin by Bharat Biotech and Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII) -- are being used for inoculation in India.
India's drug regulator has also granted permission for the restricted emergency use of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V with certain conditions.