Hiranandani Hospital Powai News: In a Mumbai hospital, 73 percent of Omicron patients received two doses of vaccine

Many states have implemented further restrictions as a preventative measure, as the new Omicron form is spreading rapidly and a record number of new Covid-19 cases are being reported every day. Many people’s New Year’s celebrations have been dimmed by the restrictions, but it goes without saying that the restrictions are extremely necessary and, without a question, the need of the hour.

Even though Maharashtra continues to have the largest number of Omicron cases in the country, 22 of the 30 patients infected with the variation hospitalized to the BMC-run Seven Hills hospital were fully vaccinated as of Wednesday.

“We had 30 Omicron patients up to Wednesday. Twenty-two of them were fully immunized, while the other eight were only slightly immunized,” said Dr. Balkrishna Adsul. He is the dean of Seven Hills Hospital, which is the major designated hospital for treating Omicron patients in Mumbai. The majority of these people are asymptomatic or have only minor symptoms.

According to Hiranandani Hospital Powai News, with 37 changes in its spike protein, Omicron can avoid vaccines, resulting in higher reinfections and breakthrough infections, such as when a patient acquires Covid-19 despite being completely vaccinated against SARS-Cov-2.

This is due to the fact that the strain is very different from the older strains for which vaccines have already been developed. Past infection and immunization appear to offer some protection against severe disease, but not against infection.

Dr Lancelot Pinto, pulmonologist and epidemiologist at Hinduja Hospital, stated that “protection against severe disease [in case of Omicron infection] appears to be lower than that against earlier strains.”

Across the country, a similar pattern has been noticed. According to data released on Friday by Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, 91 percent of Omicron-infected cases in India were fully immunized, with some receiving booster injections.

Dr Sujit Chatterjee, CEO of L H Hiranandani Hospital in Powai, gave an example, saying that because the influenza virus undergoes alterations on a regular basis, the vaccine is redeveloped each year. Anti-Covid vaccinations will also be ineffective since they will not be unique to the new strain—Omicron.

“It could be the same as if you'd developed a new illness. The virulence of the virus determines this. As a result, if patients do not behave in a Covid-appropriate manner, the disease may spread quickly," he warned.

As the number of cases of breakthrough infections has increased, several doctors have emphasized the importance of booster doses that can provide further protection against the new strain.

“For frontline employees and senior persons, a booster dose is required. According to preliminary research, persons who receive a booster shot, or third dosage of vaccine, maybe better protected. "Though the evidence is preliminary," Dr. Chatterjee said, "it looks that getting a booster may raise immunity."

However, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), warned against using booster dosages indefinitely on December 22. In a statement, he stated, "No country can boost its way out of the pandemic." "Boosters should not be viewed as a pass to proceed with planned celebrations without taking further measures."

According to Hiranandani Hospital Powai News, India had 358 Omicron cases as of December 24 evening, spread across 17 states, with Maharashtra having the largest number, 108.