ISLAMABAD: A study conducted in 25 cities has found that about 11% of Pakistanis across the country have developed immunity against the corona virus.
According to the Dawn newspaper, the National Cerebellum Study was launched in July this year by the Health Services Academy with the technical support of several partners, including the Aga Khan University and the World Health Organization.
It is part of the WHO Unity Study, which is being conducted simultaneously in 25 other countries, the Ministry of National Health said in a statement.
The study of seroprevalence is done with the aim of estimating what percentage of the population has developed antibodies to the virus.
“The sero-positivity was higher in urban areas than in rural areas, and people who came in contact with a person infected with code 19 were more likely to have antibodies in their blood,” the study said.
It revealed that urban populations and middle-aged people are more vulnerable to the disease, but rural populations and the elderly are most at risk from the second wave of the deadly virus.
The virus was more common in young adults, but significantly less in children and the elderly.
The study also found that the use of masks and frequent hand washes in July was about 60% and 70%, respectively, indicating the importance and success of awareness campaigns conducted in recent months.
Research shows that areas with low immunity may have a higher risk of future epidemics, so improve health facilities to treat coronavirus and especially health in rural areas. There is a need to increase the facilities.
Microbiologist Prof. Dr. Javed Usman said that the detection of antibodies in 11% of the population is far below their expectations as it means that Pakistan is far from the concept of herd immunity (collective immunity).
“If more than 50 per cent of the population has antibodies, the concept of herd immunity is created. Although 220 million people have been infected with the virus, it does not mean that all of them need treatment because This is called a ‘subclinical infection’ in which patients may have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. We know that a large number of people in Pakistan have no symptoms, but research shows that 89% of the population is infected with the virus. They have not been exposed and may be infected with another wave of the virus