World Health Organisation Says Almost All COVID-19 Cases Develop Immune Response

Geneva: Almost 100 per cent of COVID-19 patients develop antibodies no matter the course of the disease, WHO’s Maria Van Kerkhove said on Friday (December 4). “What we understand is 90 to 100 per cent of people who are infected with the virus do develop an antibody response, whether you have mild infection or asymptomatic infection all the way to severe infection. And we’re still learning how long that antibody response lasts, how strong it is, how it relates to immunity from another infection, and how long that lasts,” Van Kerkhove, an expert on epidemiology, said at a virtual press briefing.

Also Read: COVID-19 Vaccine May Be Ready In Some Weeks, Vaccination To Begin After Scientists’ Nod: Prime Minister

Amid the continuing spread of COVID-19, one of the prominent tasks for epidemiologists is to figure out the duration of immunity to the infection and the probability of reinfection.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday said that decisions made by the governments and individuals in the coming days would be decisive.

On Wednesday (December 2), the United Kingdom authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use, becoming the first country to do so. It gave the country a jump in mass vaccination against COVID-19.

The pandemic still has a long way to run. And decisions made by leaders and citizens in the coming days will determine both the course of the virus in the short term and when this pandemic will ultimately end, Dr Tedros said.

The WHO chief further called on the public to be more patient and careful.

We know it has been a hard year and people are tired. My personal asks to people is simple: please be careful, think of health workers and act for the greater good, because it will save lives and livelihoods, Dr Tedros added.

According to Johns Hopkins University, there are 65,627,738 COVID-19 cases and 1,514,387 deaths. The United States continues to be the worst affected country with over 14 million cases as several countries and government organizations around the world are at various stages of production of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Also Read: WHO Chief Urges Global Leaders To Invest In COVID-19 Vaccines

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.