India could be Less Vulnerable to Omicron, Mild Peak Likely by Feb: Covid Supermodel Panel
Members of the National Covid-19 Supermodel Committee says the UK model is irrelevant to India since the former has low sero-positivity and has depended mostly on mRNA vaccines.
As the United Kingdom continues to witness a higher number of Covid-19 cases due to the advent of the “incredibly fast” Omicron variant, India looks less vulnerable, M Vidyasagar, the head of the National Covid-19 Supermodel Committee told News18.com.
Vidyasagar, professor at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Hyderabad, believes that “the UK model is irrelevant to India”.
“There are two reasons. First, the UK has low sero-positivity and high vaccine penetration, while India has both which makes India less vulnerable,” he said. Citing the second reason, he said, “The UK uses mostly mRNA vaccines that seem to offer protection only for a short duration. In India, we haven’t used these vaccines.”
A low sero-positivity means less infection gained through natural infection.