Covid resurgence can’t be ruled out: ICMR scientist
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 6
With plummeting Covid-19 infections starting to trigger complacency among people, the chief of epidemiology at the ICMR has warned against prevention-fatigue saying a resurgence of the disease cannot be ruled out.
‘Far from herd immunity’
Nearly 70-80 per cent people need to have been infected for the population to reach herd immunity. That has not happened in India.
“We cannot rule out the resurgence of Covid-19 as long as there is a susceptible population. The national sero-survey conducted in December-January to determine the prevalence of Covid antibodies found 21.4 per cent people had been exposed to the virus, while 79 per cent remained vulnerable.
Brazil saw Covid resurgence at sero-prevalence of 75 per cent. India’s sero-prevalence is 21 per cent.
It will be disastrous to lower our guard,” said Samiran Panda, Head, Division of Epidemiology; Communicable Diseases at ICMR.
He said India was far from attaining herd immunity.
Directive to states
- The Centre has asked states to ensure that all health workers get the first dose of Covid vaccine by Feb 20 and all frontline workers by March 6
- The Covid-19 inoculation process for people aged above 50 will start in March, said Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Saturday
Asked to explain the dramatic drop in active Covid infections and daily deaths since the peak in September 2020, Panda said an early and stringent lockdown helped India stagger infections that peaked in September and have since been receding.
“Reduction in cases has been possible because multiple layers of barriers to the virus are active in the population,” he said.
