INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Almost all residents of Indonesia&s most populous island of Java have antibodies against COVID-19, owing to a combination of prior infection
and vaccination against the virus, a government-commissioned survey showed, Reuters reported.The March study of 2,100 people, conducted on
Java, home to 150 million people, and Bali, Indonesia&s top tourism destination, revealed 99.2% of people had COVID antibodies, a six
percentage point increase from a December survey.Pandu Riono, an epidemiologist at the University of Indonesia, which conducted the survey
with the health ministry, on Monday told Reuters the antibody levels in the latest survey were higher due to a wider booster shot rollout,
as recipients had stronger protection.Indonesia&s daily case numbers have decreased significantly since a spike in February driven by the
About 60% of its 270 million people have been vaccinated against COVID.Pandu said the stronger antibodies may explain the faster rate at
which Omicron variant infections declined in Indonesia.The December study, of 22,000 people, was conducted nationwide and showed 86% of
Indonesians had antibodies.The world&s largest Muslim-majority nation has recently loosened many of its pandemic restrictions, including
waiving quarantine for foreign tourists and lifting a two-year ban on the mass exodus tradition during the Muslim holiday season of Eid
al-Fitr.The post Study shows 99% on Indonesia&s most populous island have COVID antibodies first appeared on Ariana News.
