COVID-19 Herd Immunity Still Far Off for India, Don't Get Complacent: Health Minister

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan warned that the ICMR's Sero survey report should not create complacency in people, as India's population is not even close to achieving herd immunity.

His warning comes when the World Health Organisation (WHO) advised against any attempts to achieve herd immunity or hope that it will eventually save people.

‘India aims to obtain herd immunity look bleaker, with the country not even hitting its infection peak. Hence, it would be hard to pin a date on the end of India's coronavirus pandemic. ’

"Natural population immunity or Herd immunity is not an alternative. Let's put our energy, workforce, focus, actions into what works," stated Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's COVID-19 Technical Lead.

Harsh Vardhan remarked that the first sero-survey conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in May reported that the nationwide prevalence of COVID-19 infection was only 0.73 percent. "Even the soon-to-be-released second serosurvey indicates that we are far from having achieved any kind of herd immunity, which requires that all of us should continue following COVID-appropriate behavior," he added.

On the emerging evidence that the disease impacts the lungs and other organ systems, too, particularly cardiovascular and renal, the Minister reported that the Union Health Ministry has already set up experts' committees to look into these facets.

Besides, he informed that states and Union Territories had been advised to lower COVID tests' prices.

The Minister also notified that he had spoken privately to several state Health Ministers about the reduction of prices of testing in their respective states.

Source: Medindia