Second vaccine dose boosts immunity against COVID: survey

Mumbai: The second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine greatly reduces the risk of getting infected, finds a survey by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The BMC surveyed 2.9 lakh, Covid patients, in the city from January 1st to June 17. 10,500 reported getting infected by coronavirus after receiving the first shot of the vaccine. But only 26 were infected after receiving the second dose, reported The Indian Express.

The BMC had tasked all the hospitals with tracking Covid patients who were admitted. War rooms were in charge of collecting data about patients in home isolation. An official said that the numbers indicate that vaccines are preventing serious infection in a majority of the population. The absolute number may rise after taking account of hospitalised patients.

Dr Mangala Gomare, BMC's executive health officer said that the data of one lakh patients who were hospitalised is yet to be collected but the war rooms are expecting the trend to be the same.

The second wave of Covid-19 had hit Mumbai hard. The BMC war rooms' data shows that 3.95 lakh people suffered from Covid-19 during this period. 2.9 lakh patients who were in home isolation were chosen for the survey.

According to the state government's data, 53.83 lakh people have been inoculated in Mumbai, and 10 lakh people have received both doses.

Dr Hemant Deshmukh, Dean of KEM Hospital said that vaccination can protect a large section of people. "We are not coming across noticeable fatalities after full immunisation," he told The Indian Express.