New Delhi, Jun 17 (IANS): More than 99 percent of the healthcare workers at Fortis who received both doses of the Covid vaccine did not face severe outcomes like ICU care or mortality post-vaccination.

Fortis said that after receiving both doses, only 6 percent of staff got infected. Among those who got infected, 92 percent were mildly infected, while 7 percent developed moderate illness requiring oxygen support and only 1 percent developed severe illness requiring ICU care/ventilation.

In the absence of an established cure for Covid-19, mass inoculation through safe and effective vaccines along with Covid appropriate behaviour are the best tools to control the pandemic and reduce fatalities.

Studies indicate that vaccines not only reduce the risk of getting Covid-19 but also prevent severe outcomes of the disease such as ICU admission and fatality.

Vaccine efficacy is generally reported as relative risk reduction (RRR). Studies have already demonstrated that being vaccinated against Covid-19 significantly reduces the risk of being infected.

For example, in clinical trials, 95 percent vaccine efficacy would indicate vaccinated individuals will be 95 percent less likely to get Covid-19. If 1 percent of the unvaccinated population develops Covid-19, getting the vaccine would reduce chances of getting Covid by 95 percent, resulting in a 0.05 percent infection rate.

India's Covid vaccination drive commenced on January 16, 2021 with priority given to healthcare workers in the initial phase.

However, in anticipation and preparedness for vaccine rollout in India, Fortis Vaccination Plan-1 was formulated well in advance for early implementation.

At Fortis, till recently, more than 20,000 (direct and indirect) employees had taken the first dose while more than 16,000 had taken both doses of the Covid vaccine.

As per the preliminary assessment of the healthcare workers at Fortis between January and May, a period which included the peak of the second wave of the pandemic in India, vaccines did offer protection against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, Fortis said.