Following the Centre's decision, and DCGI’s approval of the vaccines, Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja has announced that the state is ready with the infrastructure to start with the vaccination project. The information concerning number of vaccines the state will receive and the proper schedule will be released only after consulting with the central officials.
Meanwhile, Kerala has recorded a continuous rise in cases despite the national average and other states doing better. According to the Centre, one out of four Covid patients now exist in Kerala and this has motivated the state health department to action. Ahead of the much prophesied second wave, Kerala will conduct a Covid density study to assess the antibody presence in people, especially those in the frontlines.
For the purpose, the department would collect at least 350 samples from every village, and the plan is to check about 12,100 people above the age of 18. The state would also check frontline workers, healthcare workers, police, and other emergency staff. The government also plans to collect over 5,000 samples from labs and blood banks. The overall purpose of the study is to understand how many people have developed an immunity against the coronavirus.
Earlier, a study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research on silent transmission had revealed a low number of antibody counts. However, further study was warranted after the Test Positivity Rate increased among frontline workers. According to official data from the first week of November, among 100 healthcare workers, 20 tested positive for Covid-19. Among the asymptomatic carriers, it was 10.5, patients checked before surgery recorded 3.2, and direct tests resulted in 8.3.
