India is nowhere close to herd immunity India is nowhere close to herd immunity
Last Updated: Thu, May 6th, 2021, 10:12:18hrs
New Delhi: As more and more people get Covid-19 in the country with India s Covid R rate or reproductive rate at 1.44, questions are being raised about whether we are arriving at herd immunity.
Sero surveys across cities in India have shown a high exposure to infection but experts believe that it is not translating to herd immunity. Delhi had shown extreme exposure to Covid-19 at levels safe to say that the population was reaching herd immunity but that wasnt the case.
A health expert on Thursday suggested extension of lockdown by two more weeks in Karnataka, saying the state is yet to reach peak though it has been reporting over 50,000 cases. At least in two weeks we will see a peak in Karnataka, Dr Giridhara R Babu, who is a professor and head of Life Course Epidemiology at the Public Health Foundation of India, told PTI. Babu, who is a member of the Technical Advisory Committee on COVID, said the case detection is presently erratic because the testing numbers have reduced, especially in Bengaluru. I will not give a clear indication on the number of cases during the peak, but irrespective of the testing, we will see the peak in the next two weeks, he said.
India in for the long haul as experts say herd immunity unlikely soon
Synopsis K Srinath Reddy, president, Public Health Foundation of India said that in a highly mobile world where people are moving from place to place, a non-immune person will still be very vulnerable.
Public health experts in India are of the view that reaching herd immunity is unlikely any time in the near future and believe that the virus will continue to circulate. They believe that hospitalisations and deaths will continue to happen but there will be a significant reduction around six to nine months from now.
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