ABSTRACT
Background and Aim : While India’s vaccination drive against COVID-19 continues to progress, the number of Breakthrough Infections are also revealing an uptick due to Community spread of COVID-19. There is a dearth of data quantifying the extent of breakthrough infections, defined as infections following two doses of vaccine. We aimed to understand the occurrence of Breakthrough Infections among the public in the City of Thrissur, Kerala, India, during the recent surge of COVID-19 in Kerala. Methods : Patients visiting the Internal Medicine Outpatient Department (OPD) in a private hospital in the City of Thrissur in Kerala, India were selected for the study. Subjects above the age of 18 years presenting to the OPD between August 01, 2021 and September 30, 2021 were surveyed through a short interview on the COVID-19 infection history, symptoms, severity and vaccination status.Results : Of the 56 participants who tested positive for COVID-19, 38 had received both doses of vaccine and all had received their first dose of vaccine. 4 patients had no symptoms, 37 patients reported mild symptoms and nine patients reported moderate to severe symptoms. Conclusion : Our study demonstrates the occurrence and describes the epidemiology of COVID-19 breakthrough infections in a City from the Indian State of Kerala in a real-world setting. We conclude the occurrence of Symptomatic Breakthrough Infections of COVID-19 in patients who had received two doses of the vaccine were mild in the majority of the patients (87%). Further research is required to understand the mechanisms behind these Breakthrough infections.