Breakthrough Cases

Breakthrough Cases

Topic: Science & Technology

Context: A small-scale study in healthcare workers at a private hospital in Delhi found that “breakthrough” infections occurred in 13.3% of them (about 1 in 7), with one requiring hospitalisation.

Concept:

• People who get infected with Covid-19 even after getting a vaccine shot are known as “breakthrough cases”, implying that the infection has broken through the protection provided by the vaccine.
• According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the incidence of such cases in both vaccines in use in India — Covaxin and Covishield — has remained low.

Implications

• Covid-19 infections after complete doses of vaccination will be important morbidity post pandemic, and may become a source of further infections.
• ‘Breakthrough’ infection in India after complete vaccination should be a prime area of research.