Over 90% people in Delhi have antibodies against COVID-19, shows sero-survey

While the coronavirus cases in Delhi have come down significantly, more than 90 per cent of people in the national capital have developed antibodies against the virus, according to the sixth sero-survey.

The seropositivity was 90% in unvaccinated people and 97% in vaccinated people. The survey results imply that Delhi is unlikely to see a surge as destructive as the second wave in April and May.

As per the report, over 85 per cent sero-positivity has been found in every district of Delhi. More women in Delhi were seropositive as compared to men.

In the survey, a total of 28,000 samples were collected from all the 280 wards, including the New Delhi Municipal Council and Cantonment Board.

The report was submitted to the Delhi government on Wednesday. This was the first sero-survey conducted after the fourth and most dangerous wave of the pandemic in the national capital. The fifth sero-survey was conducted in January, in which antibodies were found in only 56.13 per cent of the people.

Notably, sero-surveys examine the liquid part of blood, or serum, and detect an immune response to the virus material, not SARS-CoV-2 virus material itself.

Delhi reported 38 fresh cases on Wednesday, pushing the infection tally to 14,39,709. No COVID-19 fatalities have been recorded in the capital city in the last five days. The cumulative death toll stands at 25,091.