India - More than half of residents in capital region had infection - a serum testing survey revealed

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

首都圏住民の半数以上が感染、血清調査で判明　インド

2021.02.04 Thu posted at 18:10 JST

（ＣＮＮ） インドのデリー首都圏政府は４日までに、首都圏の住民の半数以上が新型コロナウイルスに感染していたことが判明したとの大規模な血清調査の結果を発表した。

この種の調査は５回目で、首都圏政府のサティエンダル・ジャイン保健相は２日の記者会見で今回は住民の５６．１３％の抗体反応がわかったと説明。前回調査では２５～２６％だったとし、デリー首都圏の住民に集団免疫が形成されつつあることを意味すると主張した。

インド政府の統計によると、首都圏地域の総人口は１９００万人以上。

今回の調査はインド各州の中では最大の規模だったとし、今年１月１５～同２３日にかけ約２万８０００の検体を集め、分析した。

ジャイン保健相は１日当たりの新規感染者数や陽性率は下がっているとしながらも、住民に対しては警戒を引き続き怠らないよう要請。今後数カ月はマスク着用を維持するよう呼びかけ、過去２カ月の間、予防策の順守が大幅に改善したことを受け感染者数が飛躍的に減少する結果を目にしていると強調した。

「住民がマスク装着を続けてくれるのなら我々は今後数カ月内に新型コロナを全面的に制御出来るだろう」とも訴えた。

インドのコロナ禍は世界でも最悪級で、累計感染者数は１千万人を超え、犠牲者数は１５万人以上となっている。中央政府の保健省によると、先月１６日から始まったワクチン接種を終えた国民は４００万人以上に達した。

Translation

(CNN) – In India, its capital region Delhi government on the 4th announced the results of a large-scale serum survey. It was found that more than half of the residents in the metropolitan area had once been infected with the new coronavirus.

This was the fifth survey of this kind, and Health Minister Satyendar Jain of the capital metropolitan government explained at a press conference on the 2nd that this time 56.13% of the residents had antibody reaction. In the previous survey it was 25-26%. He suggested it meant that herd immunity had been formed in the residents of the capital region of Delhi.

According to the statistics of the Indian government, the total population of the metropolitan area was more than 19 million.

This survey was said to be the largest of all Indian states, and from January 15 to 23 this year about 28,000 samples were collected and analyzed.

Health Minister Jain urged residents to remain vigilant, even though the number of new infections and positive rates per day were declining. He called on people to keep wearing masks for the next few months, stressing that over the past two months he had seen a dramatic reduction in the number of infected people as a result of significant improvements in preventive compliance.

He also appealed that "if the residents continue to wear masks, we will have full control over the new corona in the coming months."

India's corona virus was one of the worst in the world, with a cumulative total of over 10 million people infected and more than 150,000 victims. According to the central government's Ministry of Health, more than 4 million people had completed their vaccination that began on the 16th of last month.

              It is nice to know that India over the past two months has dramatically reduced the number of infection as a result of improvements in preventive compliance. Also, herd immunity has been formed among the residents in the capital region of Delhi.