About 10 per cent of people worldwide do not have immunity after vaccination - Russian official

MOSCOW: Approximately 10 per cent of people across the globe do not develop an immune response after vaccination, Anna Popova, the head of Russia's public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said on Wednesday, stressing the importance of shielding the majority of the population from the coronavirus disease.

"Ten per cent of Earth's population, 10 per cent in any town - this is the average number of people (who) do not react to vaccination... . This concerns almost all vaccines. The important thing is to have the majority of the country's population protected," Sputnik quoted what Popova told Russia's Rossiya 1 broadcaster when asked what to do if there is no sufficient immune response after vaccination.

The official added that a person with antibodies against COVID-19 still has to wear a mask in public places, as they could still be a carrier.

"A person with immunity can have a virus, which is alive and capable of infecting other people, in their nasal mucosa and nasopharynx... . That is why one should know that a person who is vaccinated, who had the disease, (and) has immunity, they still have to wear a mask and protect people around them," Popova said.

The official also mentioned that virus transmission from person to person happens most often among family members and recommended isolating anyone who feels unwell in order to prevent a potential spread of the disease.

-- BERNAMA