Coronavirus Outbreak: Is India Really Moving Towards ‘Unclear Herd Immunity’?

To halt the spread of coronavirus, Herd immunity against COVID-19 is a strategic option- a molecular immunologist said. Though, it is the ongoing process and is achieved commensurate with the rate of disease spread, says German-based Dr. Satish Ranjan. 

In simple words, Herd immunity is a process where 60-70% of the population gets affected by a disease and self-develop immune to an infectious disease so it limits the spread of infection. It is not as if people may wait for a vaccine to get immunized and in turn, people attain herd immunity, he replied to Rajesh Bhushan, a top official of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in New Delhi, via mail to Business Line.

And what Rajesh Bhushan said that – Herd Immunity in a country like India where size & population is huge, can’t be a strategic option and it can be achieved through immunization only. 

The increasing number of cases in India make herd immunity stands in controversy. 

Later Dr, Satish Ranjan added- this would have made sense if the government had been able to check the spread of disease. But we can’t deny the fact that the disease is spreading with every passing day. With more and more people are getting affected by the disease, India is immensely moving towards “Unclear Herd Immunity” – he said. 

Though, the center never announced herd immunity as an ideal option and it is happening in reality. In support, Dr. Ranjan referred to the outcome of Delhi’s seroprevalence study. In the report, it has been revealed that 23.48% of Delhi’s population has been exposed to the virus.

If the information is correct, it means that millions of people have been infected so far in reality. If this figure is correct despite all controls measures including lockdown, then Delhi is moving to “Uncleared Herd Immunity”. And if the same goes to continue, Delhi might go on to attain herd immunity soon, Dr. Ranjan said. 

The other most infected state of India is Maharashtra, where the spread of COVID-19 (in a slum area of Mumbai) has already reached 57% that it has almost achieved herd immunity naturally by getting exposed to the virus rather than by immunization through a vaccine, Dr. Ranjan said. 

The entire world is eagerly waiting for the vaccine, the outcome of rigorous scientific work, that is in turn supported by experimental data and is most of the time authenticated, validated, and peer-reviewed. Dr. Ranjan requested the Union Ministry to present the data about the vaccine. 

Hoping for favorable outcomes. 

Read More: What is Herd Immunity and How Does It Protect us From Coronavirus?