New Delhi: Health experts said on Thursday that India appears to be moving towards herd immunity against COVID-19 as cases decline. Dr (Prof) Sanjay Rai, Professor of Community Medicine at AIIMS said that there is no need to panic about the new strain of coronavirus detected in the UK as it is reportedly not as virulent. Also read: For the first time, signs of ‘herd immunity’ are observed in small population groups in Pune: Report
“Maybe we are moving towards herd immunity because in India cases are decreasing. One of the classic examples is the Dharavi slum of Maharashtra. As for the number of cases, it depends on the evidence, “he said. Also read: Herd immunity may arrive before the Covid vaccine leaves the market: Director of AIIMS
He also referred to the country’s progress towards the development and availability of the COVID-19 vaccine. Also read: Herd immunity to Covid-19 may be an impractical health strategy, says study
The statements were made at a ‘HEAL-Thy Samvaad’ webinar, organized by the Heal Foundation to discuss the dynamics of the new strain of COVID-19 first detected in the UK.
According to the Union Health Ministry, around 25 people in India have been diagnosed with the new variant of the coronavirus that was first discovered in the UK. The 25 people are in physical isolation in health centers.
Speaking about the dynamics of the new COVID-19 strain, Dr. Amitav Banerjee, Professor and Head of Community Medicine, Dr. DY Patil Medical College, Pune, emphasized relying on domestically produced data.
“As far as the new strain of COVID-19 is concerned, it is good for us Indians to follow our own data based on the emerging cases, to investigate and not to rely on western data and the rate of occurrence there. Relying on western data could bring us problems, as the demographic conditions of India are quite different from those of western countries, ”he said.
He said that the recovery rate for COVID-19 patients in India is 99% compared to 97% globally.
“It is nature’s form of adaptation that the most lethal or virulent strains do not go very far. However, less virulent strains are widely disseminated, leading to mild and asymptomatic cases in which herd immunity can develop more rapidly. Therefore, in India, we must wait, watch and be selective in terms of vaccination and there is no need to panic about the new strain of COVID-19, ”he said.
Dr Samiran Panda, Head of the Division of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases and Director and Scientist at the ICMR-National AIDS Research Institute (NARI), said that the UK strain of the virus has a high transmissibility rate of around 60 to 70%, but a high transmissibility rate does not necessarily mean that it also has a high mortality rate.
“Viruses always require a host to be transmitted from one person to another. By following proper COVID behavior, we can prevent SARS-CoV-2 from spreading further. A balanced symbiotic relationship develops over a period of time as viruses transition from an epidemic to an endemic existence with less virulence potential. Respiratory viruses in particular, through this process, acquire relevance as organisms causing seasonal outbreaks, ”he said.
Dr. JC Suri, Director of the Department of Pulmonary, Intensive Care and Sleep Medicine at Fortis Hospital, said the new COVID strain would be more transferable.
“For now, we don’t have any evidence to show that it is dangerous. All strains are also not clinically proven. And I don’t think the vaccine is ineffective. Yes, it is better to take precautions with the new strain. People should go to institutional quarantine. This variant is not virulent, ”he said.
(With contributions from ANI)
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