A new study by Indian Council of Medical Research ( ICMR) revealed today that Two doses of Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccines provide as high as 95% protection against deaths due to Covid-19, and a single dose is 82% effective in preventing deaths.
The ICMR study that has been published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR) was conducted among 117,524 police personnel from the Tamil Nadu police department who either received no shot or at least one Covid-19 vaccine shot.
“In conclusion, our analysis indicated Covid-19 vaccination, even with single dose, was effective in preventing deaths. It is necessary to increase coverage of Covid-19 vaccines, regardless of the type of vaccines, to reduce mortality in current as well as future waves of Covid-19 epidemic,” said researchers in the study paper.
The Study was conducted among 117,524 police personnel from the Tamil Nadu police department who either received no shot or at least one Covid-19 vaccine shot
Tamil Nadu Police department has been documenting vaccination of its members, and Covid-19 deaths during the second wave along with details of the date of hospitalization and vaccination.
The data was used to estimate the incidence of deaths due to Covid-19 among vaccinated and unvaccinated police personnel for the study. The incidence of mortality among vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals was compared to calculate the relative risk of mortality associated with Covid-19 vaccination, according to the study.
There are 117,524 police personnel working with department of police in Tamil Nadu. Between February 1 and May 14 this year, 32,792 received one dose, 67,673 received two doses while 17,059 did not receive any Covid-19 vaccine doses.
The study by ICMR finds that 31 Covid-19 deaths were reported among these police personnel between April 13 and May 14, of which four had taken two doses of the vaccine, seven had taken one dose and the rest 20 were unvaccinated.