Herd immunity through vaccination crucial to fight Covid19: ICMR scientist

Amid a huge concern across India following the second wave of Covid19, ETV Bharat correspondent Gautam Debroy discussed in detail the present scenario and the preventive measures to control the spike of Covid19 with the senior scientist Dr Samiran Panda at India's apex medical research institute.

New Delhi: At a time when the detection of UK, Brazil and South African variant of Covid19 has generated a huge concern in India, Dr Samiran Panda, senior scientist and head of epidemiology and communicable disease division at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Friday told ETV Bharat in an exclusive interview that the recent upsurge is not connected with the new variants.

Dr Panda is of the opinion that people in India should get herd immunity through vaccination.

"The two vaccines in India (COVAXIN and COVISHIELD) are capable enough to fight the variant and the upsurge," Dr Panda said.

He, however, cautioned that election rallies in poll-bound states, as well as coming festivals and mass gathering, might increase the cases.

Dr Panda said that when the virus proliferates (be it RNA or DNA virus) small-little changes takes place as the amino acids gets replaced. And all these changes are called mutant.

"When the mutation or the changes are smaller in magnitude, it's called drift. When the changes are big or large, it's called shift. This mutation do not necessarily provide an advantage to the virus. However, some of the mutants are able to get transmitted quickly, so it's possible for a mutant to offer an advantage to the virus which has now mutated... it's normal and keeps happening," informed Dr Panda.

He said, "We need not be panicked about it."

Dr Panda said that ant double mutant is basically a variant where the known mutation (two of them) are happening in the same variant. "It's again a part of the biological phenomena," said Dr Panda.

He further clarified that the development does not necessarily mean that all the mutations will spread very fast or all the mutant will be quite threatening to us in terms of our health.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has recently said that Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) has detected 771 variants of concerns (VOCs) in a total of 10787 positive samples shared by states and UTs. These include 736 samples positive for viruses of the UK lineage, 34 samples were found positive for the virus of the South African lineage and one sample was found positive for the Brazilian lineage.

A double mutant of E484Q and L452R have also need to be detected in Maharashtra, which has witnessed a huge surge in Covid19 cases.

"If we talk about the present scenario, it can't be told that the double mutant is linked with this spread or the second wave. In Punjab, a greater proportion of them has been identified as the UK variant. But that does not necessarily mean that there is a UK variant everywhere," added Dr Panda.

Dr Panda said that it's good to get herd immunity through vaccination rather than getting herd immunity through infection.

The study found that more than 70 percent of people in India are still susceptible to the pandemic.

"In a country like India, herd immunity through infection is not possible. On the otherhand, herd immunity through vaccination is quite possible," said Dr Panda.

He strongly recommend that people should adhere to the Covid19 behaviour to stop further upsurge and transmission of the disease.

"We should address the behavioural issues like mass gathering during election campaign, mass gathering during social events...all these environment are giving the virus and opportunity to spread from one person to another," said Dr Panda.

READ:

Taking about the two Indian vaccines, Dr Panda said that both the vaccines are found to be effective against UK and South African variant.

"There have been studies which has ascertained the claim. In fact, these vaccines will be able to offer some protection also," said Dr Panda.

He, however, said that the vaccines don't prevent against acquisition of infection. "If some one get vaccine and subsequently get infected, then the advance stage of the infection will be prevented or the chance of getting admitted will be prevented," said Dr Panda.

He said that vaccines actually reduced the impact of infection.

The health ministry has also earlier clarified that Indian vaccines can work well against the new variants.

"Our vaccines ate effective against UK and Brazil variants," Dr Balram Bhargava, DG, ICMR has said.

Dr Panda further emphasised that a concerted effort of vaccinations in the distcits witnessing a surge "is much more required."

"We need not to be panicked. There are few districts witnessing upsurge. 60 odd districts out of a total of 739 are witnessing the spike. If we concentrate on these districts as far as vaccination is concerned it would be good," said Dr Panda.