ICMR starts second all-India sero survey

August 28, 2020 07:50

The Indian Council of Medical Research has begun the second round of its coronavirus disease (Covid-19) sero survey to determine how many more Indians have been exposed to the infection since the first such exercise was conducted in May during the nationwide lockdown.

The results of the sero survey to detect the presence of Covid-19 antibodies in the general population are expected by September-end.

The first sero survey, which was conducted by ICMR along with National Centre for Disease Control, state health departments and the World Health Organisation had shown pan-India prevalence of Sars-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, at 0.73 per cent.

Close to 24,000 samples will be collected and tested from the same 69 districts in 21 states that were covered in the first sero survey. The sampling has already begun, with many states finishing sample collection and the others in various stages of completing the process.

Sero surveys are important also to determine whether the disease has entered the community transmission stage.

ICMRs National Institute of Epidemiology in Chennai is the nodal agency to oversee the survey and will be processing samples, and analyzing the results.

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