Mass antibody testing key to calibrated exit from lockdown

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has steadily scaled up his government’s response to the coronavirus disease pandemic, starting with the screening of international passengers on January 17; following up with a three-week nationwide lockdown on March 25; and forming 11 high-level empowered groups to reinforce health care facilities, bring the economy back on track, and mitigate problems faced by citizens.

On April 4, Modi underlined the need for more hospitals, isolation and quarantine facilities, training of personnel for testing and critical care, medical equipment and personal protective gear for health care workers, and on April 6, sought suggestions from the council of ministers on a “calibrated” exit from the lockdown.

In this context, outlined below an innovative strategy for lifting the lockdown.

India’s health management system is ready to begin antibody testing. Biomedical companies can upscale the manufacturing of kits under the supervision of, and quality certification by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). People with IGG antibodies, found in the blood and lymph fluid, whether or not they had suffered Covid-19, are immune, and, they can safely return to normal activities. They will not get infected, and cannot transmit infection to others. Antibodies are of two kinds, IGM and IGG. In simple terms, IGM antibody signals current infection and IGG antibody records past i nfection and immunity.

The experience everywhere is that a large proportion of people with infection have no illness or only very mild symptoms, not fulfilling the clinical criteria of Covid-19 diagnoses. Unless