Latest news with #MaSubramaniam
Time of India
a day ago
- Health
- Time of India
TN has 97% Covid immunity for senior citizens, reveals serosurvey
Chennai: At least 97 per cent of the elderly in Tamil Nadu have immunity against Covid-19, a serosurvey conducted in April 2025 by the directorate of public health revealed. The fifth edition of the survey targeted elderly persons in districts including Chennai, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Trichy, Dharmapuri, and Kanyakumari. Preliminary analysis of 1,214 samples from this group showed protective immunity of 97%, Health Minister Ma Subramaniam said here on Wednesday. The state public health laboratory tested more than 25,000 samples per phase, selected through population proportionate sampling across the state, utilising techniques for uniform collection. "We saw a boost in immunity since 2020. The first phase in Oct 2020 showed 32% immunity, which rose to 29% in April 2021 and 70% in Aug 2021. The same year in Dec, immunity was 87%," he said. Officials at the directorate attributed the increase in immunity to a combination of factors, including effective vaccination implemented during the pandemic and natural infection, leading to high immunity. High seroprevalence means that a large percentage of people in the sample population have antibodies in their blood, Director of Public Health Dr T S Selvavinayagam said. This indicates they were exposed to the SARS CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, and carry proteins, antibodies produced by the immune system in response to an infection or vaccination. They are a sign that the body encountered the pathogen and mounted an immune response, often leading to some level of protection against future infections, he said. "We vaccinated more than 95% of the population with at least one dose of the vaccine. Besides this, natural infections due to the circulation of weakened mutations such as Omicron sub-lineages of the virus enhanced antibody development further. This could have contributed to hybrid immunity," he added. Officials said high seroprevalence correlates with a positive public health outcome. "We know the virus has been largely unable to cause severe illness. We don't see Covid-19 causing deaths in people who are infected," he added.
Time of India
a day ago
- Health
- Time of India
TN has 97% Covid immunity for senior citizens, reveals serosurvey
Chennai: At least 97% of the elderly in Tamil Nadu have immunity against Covid-19, a serosurvey conducted in April 2025 by the directorate of public health revealed. The fifth edition of the survey targeted elderly persons in districts including Chennai, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Trichy, Dharmapuri, and Kanyakumari. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Preliminary analysis of 1,214 samples from this group showed protective immunity of 97%, Health Minister Ma Subramaniam said here on Wednesday. The state public health laboratory tested more than 25,000 samples per phase, selected through population proportionate sampling across the state, utilising techniques for uniform collection. "We saw a boost in immunity since 2020. The first phase in Oct 2020 showed 32% immunity, which rose to 29% in April 2021 and 70% in Aug 2021. The same year in Dec, immunity was 87%," he said. Officials at the directorate attributed the increase in immunity to a combination of factors, including effective vaccination implemented during the pandemic and natural infection, leading to high immunity. High seroprevalence means that a large percentage of people in the sample population have antibodies in their blood, Director of Public Health Dr T S Selvavinayagam said. This indicates they were exposed to the SARS CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, and carry proteins, antibodies produced by the immune system in response to an infection or vaccination. They are a sign that the body encountered the pathogen and mounted an immune response, often leading to some level of protection against future infections, he said."We vaccinated more than 95% of the population with at least one dose of the vaccine. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Besides this, natural infections due to the circulation of weakened mutations such as Omicron sub-lineages of the virus enhanced antibody development further. This could have contributed to hybrid immunity," he added. Officials said high seroprevalence correlates with a positive public health outcome. "We know the virus has been largely unable to cause severe illness. We don't see Covid-19 causing deaths in people who are infected," he added.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
No Covid death in TN so far, says health minister
Pudukottai: No Covid-related deaths have been reported in the state so far, and there is no need to panic, however, people with comorbidities, pregnant women, individuals with low immunity, and the elderly should wear masks, minister for health and family welfare, Ma Subramaniam, said on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters in Pudukottai, the minister said, "As far as Covid-19 is concerned, based on the 19 samples collected in Tamil Nadu, the virus belongs to the low-severity Omicron variant. So there is no need for alarm." Dismissing concerns about a shortage of medical staff in govt facilities, the minister said that the number of people receiving treatment in govt hospitals has grown multifold due to enhanced medical infrastructure and improved healthcare services in Tamil Nadu. "In the last four years, 29,771 medical personnel have been appointed through TNPSC, MRB, and NHM. Additionally, to address upcoming vacancies in govt primary health centres in 2026, as many as 2,642 doctors have been appointed. Therefore, as far as govt primary health centres are concerned, there is currently a surplus of doctors," he added. Earlier in the day, the minister, along with ministers Siva Meyyanathan and S Regupathy, laid foundation stones for new medical infrastructure. A total of 21 new medical buildings that were built at a cost of 7.62 crore were inaugurated, and the foundation stone was laid for 11 more medical building projects estimated at 9.8 crore.
