Immunity against virus

With the Covid-19 curve flattening in the country, it is not time yet to go into a celebratory mode. Health authorities have been warning against lowering our guard simply because the coronavirus cases are on a steady decline. A second wave of the pandemic, they remind us, could strike the populace if the precautionary measures are not adhered to. A recent study on how the population would cope with such an eventuality should give use cause to heed this warning. The study, conducted in 25 cities, shows that almost 11% of Pakistanis have developed protective immunity across the country against Covid-19, which is a much lower percentage than what the health professionals had expected.

The ‘National Seroprevalence Study’ was initiated in July this year by the Health Services Academy in collaboration with multiple partners, and with technical support from the World Health Organisation. It is part of the WHO Unity Study being conducted simultaneously in 25 other countries, the Ministry of National Health Services said in a statement on Thursday. Seroprevalence studies are carried out with an objective to assess as to what percentage of population has developed protective immunity (antibodies) to the virus.

“The seropositivity was more in urban areas compared to rural areas; similarly those who had contact with Covid-19 positive person were more likely to have antibodies in their blood,” the study states. It reveals that the population of urban areas and people up to middle age are more protected against the disease. However, population in rural areas and senior citizens are at highest risk from a possible second wave of the deadly virus. The virus was more common in young adults and significantly less in children and older people. The study suggests that areas with lower immunity rates may be at higher risk for future outbreaks. The finding of this study underscores that the nation is nowhere near the herd immunity level against the virus. This warrants that we keep following the standard operating procedures prescribed by experts and follow social distancing protocols so as to avoid a second wave of the lethal infection.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2020.

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