Public transport use cuts reinfection risk: Study | India News – Times of India
HYDERABAD: People who use public transport and those involved in high-contact work have a lower risk of Covid-19 reinfection. This is because a large pool of people from such groups have already had the disease and they have a high seropositivity for the virus.
A study, involving data of seropositivity from 24 cities, including Hyderabad, reveals that only one in four people, who have seropositivity for Covid, could recall they had serious symptoms. This in other words means 75% of people who had Covid-19 did not experience any major suggestive symptoms. They only recalled flu-like symptoms indicating that a majority of the affected did not know they had the virus.
The study involving 10,427 people from across India, including 2,073 staff from Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology and National Geophysical Research Institute, was first published on January 19 and updated on February 28 on preprint journal ‘MedRxiv’.
The study revealed that only 50% of those who had seropositivity had fever while 25% said they had loss of taste and smell. Only about 3% had issues with breathing that required oxygen support at home or hospitalisation.
Referring to the people who use public transport, the researchers said this group had about 16% seropositivity as against only 9% in people who use private transport. This means the seropositivity is 20% more among those using public transport when compared to people using personal vehicles. “As shown in our study, the fraction of such recovered subjects with resistance to reinfection was more than double among people performing high-contact jobs and using public transport,” the researchers said.
The team also delved on how Covid affects people with different blood groups. According to the study, people with the blood group AB had the highest seroprevalence (10%), meaning more prone to infection. Those with the blood groups O and A had 7% seropositivity.
People with blood group B have 36% more risk of Covid as compared to those with other blood groups.
A study, involving data of seropositivity from 24 cities, including Hyderabad, reveals that only one in four people, who have seropositivity for Covid, could recall they had serious symptoms. This in other words means 75% of people who had Covid-19 did not experience any major suggestive symptoms. They only recalled flu-like symptoms indicating that a majority of the affected did not know they had the virus.
The study involving 10,427 people from across India, including 2,073 staff from Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology and National Geophysical Research Institute, was first published on January 19 and updated on February 28 on preprint journal ‘MedRxiv’.
The study revealed that only 50% of those who had seropositivity had fever while 25% said they had loss of taste and smell. Only about 3% had issues with breathing that required oxygen support at home or hospitalisation.
Referring to the people who use public transport, the researchers said this group had about 16% seropositivity as against only 9% in people who use private transport. This means the seropositivity is 20% more among those using public transport when compared to people using personal vehicles. “As shown in our study, the fraction of such recovered subjects with resistance to reinfection was more than double among people performing high-contact jobs and using public transport,” the researchers said.
The team also delved on how Covid affects people with different blood groups. According to the study, people with the blood group AB had the highest seroprevalence (10%), meaning more prone to infection. Those with the blood groups O and A had 7% seropositivity.
People with blood group B have 36% more risk of Covid as compared to those with other blood groups.