One COVID Vaccine Dose 96.6 Per Cent Effective In Preventing Death: Govt

New Delhi: A single dose of COVID-19 vaccine is 96.6 per cent effective in preventing death and two doses push it to 97.5 per cent, the central government said referring to data collected between April and August this year.

Highlighting the importance of vaccines, head of COVID-19 task force Dr VK Paul said, “There are vaccines available. We request people to get their vaccination done. Only after the first dose can people get the second dose. It assures that death due to COVID does not happen”.

Breakthrough infections or infections among the fully vaccinated do happen but “do not result in mortality” and very few of them require hospitalisation, he added.

So far, 4.41 lakh people have died due to COVID-19. Around 71 crore vaccines shots have been administered throughout the country.