Viruses: Antibodies are detected in about two-thirds of Indians

New Delhi, India | A government study published on Tuesday showed that about two-thirds of India’s population may have contracted the COVID-19 virus.

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The serological study of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which was conducted on nearly 29,000 people in June and July, showed that 67.6% of them had antibodies.

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The impact of the deadly spike in cases is seen in April and May, when India recorded about 400,000 cases and 4,000 deaths per day.

A similar study in December and January found antibodies in less than 25% of those tested.

ICMR Director General Palram Bhargava said the study shows “there is a silver lining”. “We must beware of any complacency, we must maintain an appropriate attitude towards Covid,” he said Tuesday in New Delhi, however.

Hundreds of millions of Indians who lack antibodies are more likely to develop severe forms of the disease.

Only 13% of adults in the study were fully immunized.

India, with a population of 1.3 billion, has vaccinated only about 8% of eligible adults so far, raising fears of a new wave of contamination as the country eases restrictions linked to COVID-19.

The official number of virus-related deaths is 418,480 in India, which is the third most poor country in the epidemic after the United States (609,000 deaths) and Brazil (544,000).

A US study published on Tuesday estimated that the number of people who died of Covid-19 in India may in fact be ten times the official number, which would make the epidemic the worst human tragedy in India since its independence.

According to this study by the Center for Global Development, there are between 3.4 and 4.7 million between the start of the pandemic last year and June of this year, based on “excess deaths”, and the current number of deaths. pre-epidemic.

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