Survey reveals 82% of Keralites have COVID antibodies

Kerala's Health Department has released a survey showing that at least 82.6% of the state's adult population has Covid-19 antibodies. The high seroprevalence may be due to both exposure and vaccine, said Health Minister Veena George.

93.16% of Kerala's population is vaccinated with the first dose, and 43.14% are fully vaccinated.

The sero survey was conducted to find out the level Covid-19 exposure among pregnant women, children of the age group 5-17, tribal communities, coastal population, and those living in urban slum areas, reported The News Minute.

As per the data, 65.4% of pregnant women have antibodies and this could be due to the protective measures taken and not getting vaccinated during pregnancy. At least 40.2% of children of the age group 5-17 were also found to have been exposed to the coronavirus.

The coastal population had the highest level of antibodies with 87.6%. Tribal communities and slum residents reported 78.2% and 85.3% of seroprevalence.

The survey was conducted in September. The fourth national sero survey published in July by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had reported a sero prevalence of 44.4%. It was the lowest among 21 states.