India says one vaccine dose prevents 96.6% Covid-19 deaths

One vaccine dose alone is 96.6% effective in preventing Covid-19 deaths in India, and two doses are 97.5% effective, the health ministry said on Thursday after analysing data between April and August.

As evidence of vaccination preventing deaths, the Indian government highlighted the health ministry data that showed that most deaths in the devastating second wave of Covid in April-May were recorded among the unvaccinated, reports NDTV.

"Vaccination is the most important shield against the virus," said VK Paul, who heads the Covid task force in India.

"There are vaccines available. We request people to get their vaccination. Only after the first dose can people get the second dose. It assures that death due to Covid does not happen," he said.

The government said breakthrough infections - or infections among the fully vaccinated - do happen, but asserted that they "do not result in mortality" and account for an extremely low level of hospitalization.

Along with Covid, other infections like dengue are also on the rise in India, warned Dr Paul, confirming that the fever that was causing deaths among children in Uttar Pradesh is dengue.

"Mosquito-borne diseases are on the rise. We need to be careful. Dengue has serious, fatal complications and there is no vaccine. We must fight against these illnesses alongside Covid," he said.

The country today recorded 43,263 new coronavirus infections and 338 deaths.

A total of 4,41,749 people have died so far in the pandemic. More than 71 crore people have been vaccinated nationwide.