New Delhi: It is futile to go for anti-body tests as the immunity does not depend only on anti-bodies, said Dr. Samiran Panda, Head, Division of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases, Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR).
The anti-bodies that are seen using the commercial kits available in the market are not necessarily the anti-bodies that can protect from COVID disease, Dr. Panda said.
Dr. Panda explains that whenever a person gets vaccinated, two types of immunity emerge. One is known as neutralizing anti-body or anti-body mediated immunity. Second one is cell mediated immunity. Third one and the most important one is immune memory.
An immune memory is generated after vaccination and is present in cells and whenever the virus enters the body, this gets activated, he said.
Breastfeeding mothers should get themselves vaccinated against COVID-19 without any hesitation. The anti-bodies that are developed in the mother as a result of the vaccination get passively transferred to the baby while breastfeeding and could be helpful to the child, he added.