COVID-19 Explained: What Is A Breakthrough Infection?
A 26-year-old Mumbai doctor has tested COVID-19 positive thrice in 13 months - twice after taking both doses of a COVID vaccine.
Breakthrough Infections: According to Dr Chandrakant Lahariya, Epidemiologist and Health System Specialist, health agencies define vaccine breakthrough infection as one in which a nasal swab can detect the coronavirus protein more than two weeks after a person has completed the full recommended doses of an authorized COVID vaccine.
Causes Of Breakthrough Infections: Vaccine breakthrough infections are expected as no vaccine is 100 per cent effective in preventing the illness, said Dr Lahariya. We need to remember that the efficacy of vaccines is around 80 per cent which essentially means that out of every 100 people vaccinated, around 20 people are still susceptible to catching the virus, he added. This essentially means, vaccines triggering a less robust immune response among people is one of the causes of breakthrough infections.
Causes Of Breakthrough Infections: Exposure to higher viral load, old age, being immunocompromised or having comorbidities like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, lung diseases and cancer increase the chances of breakthrough infections, Dr Lahariya stressed. He also said that the new variants like Delta and Delta Plus variants that are more contagious can also cause breakthrough infections.
Symptoms Of Breakthrough Infections: Vaccine breakthrough infections are usually mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic, said Dr Shishir Pandey, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Sharda Hospital. The symptoms in such cases are similar to mild COVID that include fever, cough, body ache and can be mostly managed without hospitalisation, he said adding that a breakthrough infection usually does not lead to severe illness.
Nearly 20 lakh children live on the streets of India, without an identity, a name to call their own, a place to call home, sleeping on empty stomachs for days and nights. These twenty lakh are children, who have dreams, who have rights, who are our tomorrow. They are living in the shadows today.
During these unprecedented times, not everyone can afford the privilege of social distancing. And not everybody can stay home during the lockdown, simply because they don’t have a home. Those living in poverty are extremely vulnerable, struck with a sudden lack of funds, food, mobility and a struggle for survival. And, as with all humanitarian crises, it is the children who have been affected the most.
It is always the children on the street who are subjected to some of the harshest realities of life. Today they are battling a catastrophic crisis, and it’s time we step in to protect them.
As a part of our COVID-19 response, Save the Children is working across various regions and has already directly reached over 18,000 children and adults to cover their basic needs. The organisation is ensuring their daily needs and their dignity and hygiene are also being cared for. Save the Children has identified 2.5 lakh children in cohorts, across 10 cities in India. Reaching out to these children with emergency relief is a top priority. But this cannot be done alone.
Save the Children and NDTV join hands to bring focus to the lives of children living in street situations. As India fights the Coronavirus, we must not forget one of the most marginalised and excluded groups whose lives have been long ignored – street-connected children. The 21-day campaign will generate public interest and raise funds to ensure these 20 Lakh+ children who live, earn, sleep and eat on our streets are cared for and protected. Amidst the crisis the world is facing, they are most vulnerable, exposed to infection and disease.