Posted by Bloomberg. Thought may be interesting for some30 Jul 2020 01:01
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Herd Immunity Seems to Be Developing in Mumbai’s Poorest Areas
By Ari Altstedter and Dhwani Pandya
29 July 2020, 11:23 BST
Updated on 29 July 2020, 22:00 BST
Sero survey finds 57% of Mumbai slum-dwellers have antibodies
Fewer cases may be due to herd immunity, not measures: expert
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Around six in ten people living in some of India’s biggest slums have antibodies for the novel coronavirus indicating they’ve recovered from infection, in what appears to be one of the highest population immunity levels known worldwide.
The findings, from a July serological survey of 6,936 people across three suburbs in India’s financial center of Mumbai, may explain why a steep drop in infections is being seen among the closely-packed population, despite new cases accelerating overall in the hard-hit country.
“Mumbai’s slums may have reached herd immunity,” said Jayaprakash Muliyil, chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee of India’s National Institute of Epidemiology, and the retired head of one of its premier medical colleges. “If people in Mumbai want a safe place to avoid infection, they should probably go there.”