Jul 06, 2021, 06:29 AM IST
New Delhi: A new study has claimed that the Delta variant of COVID-19 is eight times less sensitive to coronavirus vaccine antibodies as compared to the original strain that was first reported in China's Wuhan.
The study titled "Sars-Cov-2 B.1.617.2 Delta Variant Emergence and Vaccine Breakthrough: Collaborative Study", was conducted on more than 100 healthcare workers (HCWs) at three centres across India including Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) in Delhi. The collaborative study from India was conducted along with scientists from the Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease. It, however, is yet to be peer-reviewed.
It stated that the B.1.617.2 Delta variant, first found in India, not only dominates vaccine-breakthrough infections with higher respiratory viral loads compared to non-Delta infections but also generates greater transmission among the fully vaccinated healthcare workers.