Abstract :
Background: The ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic has infected hundreds of millions of people over the world, imposing a tremendous burden on the global healthcare system including the dental community. COVID-19 vaccines are currently the best defense against the rapidly evolving severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, there are emerging concerns about vaccine breakthrough infections. This study has been done to assess the COVID- 19 breakthrough infection among the vaccinated Dental student community of North Kerala and also evaluate and compare the severity of COVID-19 infection among vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals.
Materials and Methods: A survey was performed within the Dental student community which included BDS students, House surgeons and Post graduates by means of a questionnaire administered online via Google forms that consisted of demographic information and questions to assess severity of the COVID-19 breakthrough infection. The data were analyzed using the SPSS version 26 software. Result was presented in frequencies, percentages and charts showing the interrelatedness of the variables examined.
Results: Among the 714 respondents there were 11.9% males and 88.1% females. Majority of the study subjects reported to have completed two doses of Covid vaccine, while 11.5% had taken only a single dose and 1% had not been vaccinated at all. Around 13% of subjects gave history of being Covid positive before vaccination and (14.7%) got infected even after vaccination.
Conclusion: New Covid variants are being evolved continuously, thereby increasing the chance for transmissibility and evasion of the host immune response. This could be the reason for the 14.7% breakthrough infections reported in our study. Therefore, the need for future studies to recognize factors leading to inadequate vaccine response in those with breakthrough infections and ways to mitigate them is highlighted.
Keyword :
Breakthrough infection, COVID- 19, Dental students, Vaccination.