40 cr Indians still vulnerable to Covid-19; 67% have antibodies, finds 4th Serosurvey
Live MintWhile releasing findings of the fourth national serosurvey, the Union Health Ministry today said that nearly two-thirds of the population in the country aged above six has developed antibodies against coronavirus, while 40 crore people are still vulnerable to the disease. "67.6% of India's population above 6 years found to have SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in ICMR's latest national serosurvey in June-July," the health ministry officials said, adding, "a third of the population did not have SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, which means about 40 crore people still vulnerable to Covid-19 infection." The fourth round of the national serosurvey was conducted in 70 districts in June-July and included children of 6-17 years of age to assess their vulnerability towards Covid-19, ICMR DG Dr Balram Bhargava said. The ICMR DG also said that the survey found that over 50% of children aged 6-17 years have been exposed to Covid-19 and developed antibodies against it.