COVID-19: Fifth Sero Survey Shows Delhi Closer To Attaining Herd Immunity

Delhi might have developed herd immunity against coronavirus according to the recently conducted fifth serological survey. The survey showed that 50 per cent of those surveyed have developed antibodies to the virus.

A senior government official said, "In one district, the prevalence is around 58 per cent, which clearly shows that a large number of people have developed antibodies against the virus."

Since the COVID-19 outbreak last year, this is the highest seroprevalence found during surveys conducted by the Delhi government, reported The Indian Express.

The health ministry figures say that only 6.33 lakh people in Delhi were infected. But the survey indicates that the total figure could be more than 1 crore.

"If the number is correct, it partially explains why the numbers are coming down in Delhi," said Dr Lalit Kant, former head of the epidemiology department at Indian Council of Medical Research. Dr Kant said that the persistence of antibodies for a longer period is essential. If this is for a shorter period, people might contract the virus again, reported The Times of India.

The first round, which was conducted in June by the Delhi government in association with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) checked 21,387 samples. It found out that around 23 per cent of the people surveyed had been exposed to COVID-19.

In September and October, the figures stood at 25.1 per cent and 25.5 per cent respectively.

A serological survey is conducted either to check if the disease still persists in a population or if a person has developed immunity to certain diseases by detecting the presence of specific immune response to the disease. The serological test is performed to diagnose infections and autoimmune illnesses.

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