Herd immunity difficult to achieve: AIIMS Director

NEW DELHI: Herd immunity is "very difficult" to achieve and one should not think of it in "practical terms" in India, especially in the times of "variant strains" of Covid19 and "waning immunity", claimed AIIMS director Randeep Guleria on Sunday.

Guleria was speaking at the ongoing edition of Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) in a session on his book "Till We Win: India's Fight Against The Covid-19 Pandemic" -- coauthored by public policy and health systems expert Chandrakant Lahariya and renowned vaccine researcher and virologist Gagandeep Kang.

"Herd immunity is something that is going to be very, very difficult to achieve and it is something one should not really think of in practical terms... because the variant strains and varying immunity with times can lead to a chance where people may have reinfection or get infection again," the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) director said.

"And one should also remember that a large number of people have had mild infections and we do know that those with mild infection tend to have less antibodies production, their antibodies tend to wane over a period of time," he added.

Experts say herd immunity is said to have been developed in a population segment if at least 50-60 per cent of those are found to have the presence of antibodies in a sero-prevalence survey. Delhi seems to be heading towards reopening, taking on challenges of post-Covid era With the number of coronavirus cases in the national capital coming down, Delhi appears to be heading towards reopening completely and taking on challenges of the post-COVID era.

From schools to colleges, courts to public transport, the places and services which were partially functioning so far in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, are getting into action towards a complete reopening.

According to officials, Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) is likely to hold a meeting on Monday to decide the future course of action with regards to COVID preparedness and precautions.

UN chief lauds India in fight against virus, vax aid

UN chief Antonio Guterres has voiced appreciation for India's leadership in the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic and its efforts to bring a "much-needed supply" of the COVID-19 vaccines to the world market.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti tweeted on Saturday Guterres, in a letter dated February 17, "extends his personal gratitude" to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for "India's offer of 200,000 doses" of Covid19 vaccines for UN peacekeepers. The secretary-general says, "India has been a global leader in pandemic response efforts", Tirumurti tweeted, expressing his gratitude to the UN Chief.