We must get to the root of breakthrough COVID: Experts

AMID a growing number of breakthrough COVID infections many reasons including variants like Delta and Lambda waning immunity and immunocompromised people with cancer or AIDS have come to the fore With researchers yet to zero in on the exact cause behind fully vaccinated people contracting the virus health experts say it might be due to diminishing immunity over time post vaccinationldquoIt has become a matter of serious concern that several people around the world including India have been infected despite being fully vaccinated Besides many more people have been developing adverse effects side effects due to vaccines A report from the USA of the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System which is under the Center for Disease Control revealed that as of August 26 there have been 6968 deaths due to COVID vaccinesrdquo said Dr Wiqar Shaikh Professor of Medicine at Grant Medical College and JJ Group of hospitalsPublic Health England reported that between February and June more vaccinated people in England died of COVID than those unvaccinated ldquoIn fact 163 of 237 people 634 per cent who died due to the Delta variant had been vaccinated In India as of June 2021 unreleased government data shows that 26000 cases of adverse events following COVID vaccines were reported and 488 deaths were linked to postvaccination complicationsrdquo he saidDr Shaikh said the intriguing aspect is whether vaccines are really effective ldquoAlso is it that breakthrough infections are by other variants such as Delta Delta Plus and Lambda This fact is not being analysedrdquo he said midday had earlier reported that COVID vaccines were developed in a few months in stark contrast to about 10 years of intensive research done for other vaccines Also drugs like remdesivir hydroxychloroquine Ivermectin and plasma therapy that were favoured earlier have now been declared by WHO as having no value in COVID treatmentSteady rise in numbersAccording to Dr Santosh Bansode HoD Emergency Medicine Wockhardt hospitals there has been a steady growth in the number of breakthrough infections ldquoIs it because vaccines are not fully protecting people or is it because of new variants When we get any new fully vaccinated COVID patient we must send his samples for testing to find out which variantVaccine manufacturers can then work on those variants Now it is clear that vaccines give a good amount of protection but still research should be continued so that we can get vaccines that provide full protection This also teaches that fully vaccinated people should also follow all COVID protocols and continue taking precautionsrdquo said Dr BansodeItrsquos becoming more commonVaccines prevent infection hospitalisation and death in 6085 per cent of people but donrsquot protect everyone ldquoBreakthrough infections can be caused by Delta and Lamda variants and their subtypes or waning immunity over a period of time or some immunocompromised people with cancers or HIVrdquo Dr Subhash Hira Professor of Global Health at the University of WashingtonSeattle and an expert on Infectious Diseases He said the vaccineinduced effectiveness against Lambda is only 3540 per cent ldquoIt will be good to see if any Indian study is completed on vaccine breakthrough infections by ICMR and published soonrsquordquo he saidIf infected Dr Hira said fully vaccinated people can spread fresh strains ldquoThe only solace so far is that these breakthrough infectious have a remarkably low viral load in these individuals This means they are less infectious to othersrdquo He said contacts of such people should wear masks at all times ldquoImmunocompromised people are now being advised in some countries to take a booster dose after 56 months At some point when polyvalent booster vaccines are made there will be different recommendations about booster doses for the general publicrdquo he addedKeep an eye on mutant variantsDr Ketan Vagholkar Professor of Surgery at D Y Patil Medical College said breakthrough infections have become a global phenomenon though the risks are much less compared to unvaccinated people ldquoBut their contagious potential continues to be highrdquo He said immunocompromised individuals should take utmost care of themselves The expert said ldquoWith the increase in the number of fully vaccinated people the number of breakthrough infections will also rise Research on breakthrough infections continues in all countriesrdquo6085Percentage of fully vaccinated people who are well protected