New Delhi: Forty per cent of Indian families have one or more members who took Covid-19 antibody tests this year, a new survey has found.
The survey conducted by LocalCircles said that with the rise in vaccination rate, there has also been a rise in the number of people getting antibody or serology test done to measure the effectiveness of the vaccine or to find out if one has been exposed to the virus that causes Covid-19.
The survey received over 24,000 responses from citizens across 318 districts of India. Sixty-four per cent of the participants were men while 36 per cent were women. Forty-two per cent of respondents were from tier 1 districts, 31 per cent from tier 2, and 27 per cent of respondents were from tier 3, 4, and rural districts.
When asked how many people in their family took the antibody test, out of the 15,682 responses, 15 per cent said “multiple members got it done multiple times this year”, and 14 per cent said “multiple members got it done once this year”. Meanwhile, 14 per cent said “1 member got it done multiple times this year”, and nine per cent said “1 member got it done once this year”. The majority — 54 per cent of citizens — said “no one has gotten it done once this year”, and 6 per cent “did not have an opinion”.
On an aggregate basis, the survey said, 40 per cent of families have one or more members who got a Covid-19 antibody test done this year.
According to medical experts, vaccinated people take about two weeks to develop antibodies, while those who haven’t been inoculated take up to two to three weeks.
The immune system develops antibodies — proteins that can recognise and help to inactivate viral particles — as soon as it detects any threats like viruses that harm our body, even after vaccination.
While a Covid-19 antibody test lets people know if they have antibody concentration in their blood, several scientists have cautioned that the presence of antibodies doesn’t mean that a person is immune to Covid-19.
Also read: Over 11-month gap between Covishield shots gives better antibody levels: Oxford study in Lancet
50% paid over Rs 750 for antibody test
To the question of how much did they or their family paid for the antibody test, 29 per cent of respondents said they paid Rs 1,000 or more, 21 per cent said they paid between Rs 750-1,000, 14 per cent paid between Rs 500-750, 24 per cent paid between Rs 250-500, 7 per cent said they paid less than Rs 250, and 5 per cent couldn’t say.
This question in the survey received 9,063 responses.
With antibody tests gaining popularity, the survey stresses the need to have a uniform rate for labs across the country so that profiteering from antibody tests can be minimised.
It further states that with the third Covid-19 looming over us and the possible emergence of new variants of SARS-COV-2, more people may take the antibody test.
The survey also pointed out that many people in the community discussions demanded that a price cap of Rs 300-400 be put on antibody tests as it will minimise profiteering and unfair trade practices.
Also read: Antibody cocktail, given to Trump, could reduce hospitalisation in high-risk Covid patients: Study