The COVID-19 pandemic seems to be nowhere near the end, and with a daily spike of more than 60K cases, the major part of the country is locked at home. The pandemic has had massive implications in various sectors, causing many activities to halt.
Amidst all the conundrum, a ray of hope can be sensed in the report released by one of the preeminent private laboratories, Thyrocare Labs. The study suggested that 26% of the Indians have already been infected with the COVID-19 virus and hence have developed immunity against the same. This infers that 1 in 4 Indians are immune to the disease.
The number can reach up to 40% in the month of December, with nearly half the population developing immunity against the coronavirus.
THE ANTIBODY STUDY REPORT
The Managing Director of the Thyrocare Labs, Dr A Velumani, confirmed the data obtained from the serological tests which were conducted on approximately 2.7 lakh people. It was found that on an average, 26% of the Indians have already communicated the coronavirus. They have also developed neutralizing antibodies in their blood. This is an immune response by the body which can potentially fight the virus.
Dr Velumani also said that the antibodies are uniform across all the age groups, including the children. He also said that the numbers obtained were much higher than their initial estimates and anticipation.
This positively indicates that 1 in 4 Indians have contacted and recovered from the deadly virus and are now immune to it. Another study conducted by the same organization in July had stated the figure to be 15%, but the test was conducted on only 53,000 people.
The study provides a good back-up for the concept of herd immunity and indicates a gradual approach towards it.
The recovery rate in India is more than 74% which also indicates a very optimistic trend for the country. If this continues then the immunity level may reach up to 40% in the month of December. For others who lack immunity, the vaccine, which is predicted to come in the month of December, can be the answer.
People who have these antibodies can also be helpful in many ways. They can serve as the front-line workers and also increase the volunteers for blood donation for plasma therapy.
CURRENT COVID-19 SITUATION: NEARLY 70K DAILY SPIKE
As the number of tests is increasing, the daily spike is also seeing an upsurge. With a record 8 lakh tests conducted in a single day, a spike of 69,652 fresh cases was also recorded. This is the highest number of cases recorded in a single day in India. The tally has now crossed 2.8 million cases.
The recovery rate is still high, and the number of active cases is a little over 6 lakh. The total number of deaths also went up to 53,866 with near 977 fatalities reported in a day.
Approximately a total 3,26,61,252 tests have been conducted cumulatively till date. The increase in the number of tests has also helped in containing the gap between the number of active cases and the number of recoveries.
The Government of Delhi permitted the operation of Hotels, and the ban on gyms and yoga centers are still in continuation. The weekly markets will finally open after five months on a trial basis. The Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal that this will cause the economy to come back on track as the last few months resulted in a slump.
The 3 month lockdown has caused a loss to several sectors and some relief is being welcomed by all.
The safest option as of now is to wear mask, maintain proper hygiene and avoid public gatherings. The developments on the vaccines also indicate that a potential one will be released by the month of December.
