COVID-19 antibodies high in TN population, claims Govt

CHENNAI: Amid speculations of another COVID-19 outbreak, the Tamil Nadu government announced that due to effective vaccination the state’s population carries a very high level of antibodies that can fight the pandemic virus.

The Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH&PM) conducted the fifth phase of the sero-survey (collection and testing blood samples of a defined population to determine the presence of antibodies against a specific pathogen) and found that the samples exhibited 97% immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

For the fifth phase sero survey, commenced in April this year, 3,643 blood samples were collected from elderly persons in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruchy, Dharmapuri and Kanniyakumari, said the DPH&PM. Lab tests found SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in the blood samples even after three years since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The particular antibodies develop in the human body to fight SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 infection.

The DPH&PM claimed that the prevalence of antibodies among the public even after a long interval is because of vaccination.

It is also because of such high prevalence of the antibodies that the latest COVID-19 cases are not exhibiting severe symptoms and deaths are “almost nil in the state,” it said.

“If any virus or infection affects a human body, the body will naturally develop an antibody to fight the invaders. However, the elderly, pregnant women and persons with comorbidities should be careful despite the antibodies,” said Ravindranath GR, general secretary of the Doctor's Association of Social Equality.

Though the state government claims that no death due to COVID-19 has been recorded this year, data from the Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare state otherwise – six persons have succumbed to COVID- 19 since January this year, while there are over 200 active cases in the State.

It may be noted that since the COVID-19 cases are seeing a surge nation-wide, the Union government held a meeting to discuss the preparedness to handle the increasing number of cases. It directed all the states and union territories to ensure adequate availability of oxygen supplies, isolation beds, ventilators and essential medicines.

In the last week of May, the DPH issued an advisory bringing masks and physical distancing back in public places. The Coimbatore government medical college hospital also recently made wearing of masks mandatory.