An analysis of the immune status, mortality and morbidity patterns post-vaccination among persons who tested positive for COVID-19 and hospitalised is being conducted at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH).
Having treated the highest number of patients with COVID-19 in the State — approximately 57,000 people since the start of the pandemic — RGGGH has taken up an analysis of 970 patients admitted in COVID-19 wards in the last four months.
“We are studying 970 patients admitted to COVID-19 wards in the last four months, starting with the period when COVID-19 cases started to decline in the second wave of the pandemic. As a preliminary finding, we found that 170 of them had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while a majority were unvaccinated. Symptoms-wise, those who were vaccinated came with mild cough, myalgia and had less respiratory symptoms while those who were not vaccinated, had respiratory distress, drop in oxygen saturation level and pneumonia,” E. Theranirajan, dean of RGGGH, said.
In their observation, doctors found that post-vaccination, only patients with certain co-morbidities such as uncontrolled diabetes, morbid obesity, tuberculosis, lung diseases or interstitial lung diseases, had respiratory distress. Cancer patients came in with respiratory distress when they got infected with COVID-19.
Citing current admission statistics, Dr. Theranirajan said as of September 9, 10 patients were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and were on C-PAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) or High Flow Nasal Oxygen. “None of them were vaccinated,” he said.
Out of the 78 in-patients at the hospital, a majority of them — 61 patients — were non-vaccinated, while the remaining 17 were vaccinated, according to hospital data.
Reiterating that this was a preliminary analysis, he said it was important to have multiple analyses such as time between vaccination and infection.
“Such studies are important to know the efficacy of vaccines and to what extent does it prevent mortality. The World Health Organisation, while commenting on booster shot, has noted that the antibody presence in persons with co-morbidities after two doses has to be studied to decide on a third dose. We need to analyse this too. Only if we improve vaccination can we enter the endemicity stage and return to normalcy,” he added.
