July 2022 Serological Survey: 98.5% of Indonesian Citizens Possess COVID-19 Antibodies

A serological survey conducted by the Health Development Policy Agency (BKPK) and the Covid-19 pandemic team of the Faculty of Public Health, University of Indonesia (FKM UI), revealed that 98.5% of the Indonesian population had Covid-19 antibodies in July 2022.

This antibody proportion increased compared to the serological survey conducted in December 2021, which showed a proportion of 87.8%.

"There was an increase in the proportion of the population with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies from 87.8% in December 2021 to 98.5% in July 2022," said FKM UI researcher Iwan Ariawan at the Third National Serology Survey Press Conference on Thursday (11/8/2022).

According to Iwan, the population's antibody levels increased approximately fourfold, from 444 units/ml in December 2021 to 2,097 units/ml in July 2022. However, this does not mean that the community is free from the continuously mutating Covid-19 infection.

The increase in antibody levels is attributed to two factors: accelerated vaccination and infection.

In July 2022, there was a decrease in the proportion of unvaccinated individuals compared to December 2021, dropping to 18.1%. The proportion of those who had received the first vaccine dose decreased to 11.6% because they had received the second dose. Furthermore, the proportion of those who had received the second dose increased to 47.7%, and those who had received a booster dose increased to 22.6%.

Besides vaccination, many people are still infected with Covid-19. This can increase antibodies in infected individuals, although the largest contribution comes from vaccination.

This third serological survey was conducted in 100 selected districts/cities spread across 34 provinces. The survey method used questionnaires, blood sampling, and examination for the presence and levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The examination was conducted at BKPK and its network of laboratories.