Coronavirus: Less than 10% of world's population has developed antibodies, says WHO

The World Health Organization Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said that the WHO has estimated that less than 10 per cent of the global population have antibodies to the coronavirus. She urged that the only path to ‘mass herd immunity’ is through vaccination. She said, “Less than 10 per cent of the world’s population actually has antibodies to this virus. Of course in some settings, like particularly in the very high-density urban settlements, there are pockets where 50, 60 per cent of the population has been exposed to the virus and has antibodies”. 

Achieving herd immunity 

This comes after the WHO warned that herd immunity against COVID-19 will not be achieved in 2021 despite vaccines. Swaminathan believes that the current COVID-19 vaccines offer protection against the disease and death from COVID-19. However, she said that the vaccines’ effectiveness with regard to mild disease and asymptomatic infection is still being analysed by the researchers. 

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Earlier, Swaminathan said that even after vaccines roll-out in various parts of the world, population immunity will not be achieved this year. Swaminathan also said that even if herd immunity is achieved in some parts of the world, it is not going to protect everyone, everywhere, highlighting the importance of practising public health safety measures. "It is really important to remind people, both governments as well as individuals on the responsibilities and the measures we need to continue to practice for the rest of this year at least because even as vaccines start protecting the most vulnerable, we're not going to achieve any levels of population immunity or herd immunity in 2021”, she said.

Read: COVID-19: WHO Says Herd Immunity Unlikely In 2021, Urges People To Follow Safety Protocols

During a press briefing, she also praised the scientists for developing COVID-19 vaccines in such a short period of time. Further, she thanked governments and private players for supporting vaccine development. She said, “A year ago nobody would have predicted that there would be not one, but several vaccines against the new virus. This is a testament to the scientists around the world, governments who have supported them, companies who have manufactured them”.

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