Large families have more COVID antibodies, finds NIN study

Seeing a steady growth in the number of beneficiaries taking the vaccine, Telangana saw nearly 21,207 individuals from priority groups taking the shot on Thursday. 
A senior citizen gets a Covid-19 jab during the third phase of vaccination at Sagar Apollo Hospital in Bengaluru on Thursday
A senior citizen gets a Covid-19 jab during the third phase of vaccination at Sagar Apollo Hospital in Bengaluru on Thursday

HYDERABAD: A seroprevalence study conducted in January in Hyderabad has revealed that the prevalence of Covid-19 antibodies was the highest among family members of those households where there was a confirmed Covid-19 case - at 78 per cent.

This was followed by households where the family members knew someone outside the house who had contracted the disease - at 68 per cent.

Among those above 70 years of age, it was 49 per cent, perhaps because of limited mobility and extra care taken during the pandemic. 

Houses with fewer rooms or a larger family size were associated with higher prevalence of Covid-19 antibodies, said NIN Scientist ‘G’, Dr A Laxmaiah.

He said the NIN is also working on a cohort study to find out how long do the naturally developed antibodies last. 

“This multi-stage random sampling study on 9,000 people in Hyderabad has showed that more than 75 per cent of the seropositive population did not know that they had contracted the infection in the past. This suggests seroconversion, which means antibody formation has happened even with silent infections,” NIN director Dr R Hemalatha said. 

TS vaccinates 21,000 elderly people in a day

Seeing a steady growth in the number of beneficiaries taking the vaccine, Telangana saw nearly 21,207 individuals from priority groups taking the shot on Thursday.

According to the State Health Department, of the 22,652 targeted beneficiaries (those above the age of 60 and those with comorbidities), 93.62 per cent turned up for the vaccine. Meanwhile, the vaccination for healthcare workers and front line workers continued. 

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