New Delhi, 10/12: Covid-19 has ravaged many countries and claimed millions of lives in the past two years. In India, too, a pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus had affected many between April and May 2021 and before that. The national sero-survey conducted post-second wave showed a seropositivity rate of about 80 per cent, including in children, which means this population has developed antibodies against the contagion, either through exposure to the virus or through vaccination.
After the second wave, the world’s largest adult vaccination programme launched on January 16, 2021, by the prime minister accelerated coverage of the maximum eligible population in record time. Presently, over 50 per cent of the adult population is fully vaccinated, and more than 85 per cent of them have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. It indicates that a large proportion of the population has developed a hybrid immunity through both natural infection and vaccination.
When a human body is exposed to a natural infection or is being inoculated, it generates an immune response that helps fight infections in the future. This helps protect the body against pathogens, such as Covid-19, which may lead to severe disease or even death. Hybrid immunity is believed to provide greater protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants.