Delta Variant Can Infect Despite Covishield, Covaxin Doses: AIIMS Study

Data from the AIIMS and NCDC studies indicated the 'alpha' variant is also proving resistant to Covishield and Covaxin, but not as significantly as the 'delta' version

The 'delta' variant of COVID-19 - the version first detected in India in October last year - is capable of infecting people even after they have received both doses of the Covaxin or Covishield vaccines, according to separate studies by AIIMS (Delhi) and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). It is important to note that neither study has been peer-reviewed as yet. The AIIMS study suggests the 'delta' variant - which others, including one by British health authorities, say is between 40 and 50 per cent more infectious than the 'alpha' version first reported from the UK - is likely behind the majority of breakthrough infections in India. The AIIMS-IGIB (Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology) study was based on an analysis of 63 symptomatic patients who reported to the hospital's emergency ward complaining of high fever persisting for five to seven days.