Of 12.7 crore inoculated, 21,000 got Covid-19 after vaccine: Centre

Two to four persons per 10,000 who have received the Covid-19 vaccine were getting infected with the disease—a number too small to be worried about, the government said on Wednesday.

Of the 12.7 crore persons vaccinated by the two vaccines, 21,000 have tested positive for Covid-19, Indian Council for Medical Research Director General Balram Bhargava told reporters here.

He said most of the breakthrough infections, those testing positive post-vaccination, have been reported in the high-risk category such as healthcare workers, who have exposure to the virus.

According to the data presented at the press conference, of the 93.56 lakh who were administered the first dose of Covaxin 4,208 or 0.04% had tested positive. Of the 17.37 lakh who received the second dose, 695 or 0.04% tested positive.

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Bhargava said 17,145 persons or 0.02% of the 10.03 crore persons who received the Covishield vaccine tested positive after the first dose, while 5,014 persons or 0.03% of the 1.57 crore were infected with the disease after receiving the second dose.

“This is a very small number and not at all worrisome. There is a possibility that a newer highly transmissible variant may be responsible, else it would have been zero,” Bhargava said.

He said even if a person gets infected after vaccination, the infection was not severe and urged people to get the vaccines.