There were 64 lakh cases of infection in May

The National Population-Based Sero Survey has revealed that 0.73 percent of adults in India were infected with coronavirus and by the beginning of May 2020, the total number of infected people was 64 lakhs. According to John Hopkins Covid Tracker, India currently ranks second in the world with 4.5 million cases of infection, while the number of infected in the US is the highest worldwide, and about 64 lakh people are infected here. The ICMR Sero Survey report suggests that the number of infected in India may have exceeded the official number in the US.

The results of the serosurvey conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) were published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research. The report found that the scope of seroprevalence ranged from zero to high-level cases between 0.62 and 1.03 percent in four-level districts. A total of 30,283 families from 700 groups from 70 districts were visited at these four levels. It stated, 'Our survey findings showed that overall seroprevalence in India was low and by the middle of May 2020 there was less than one percent adult population among those infected with SARS-COV-2. The survey, conducted between 11 May and 4 June, tested 28,000 people by the Covid Kavach ELISA antibody test, warning that there was a low prevalence in most districts, suggesting that India was in the early stages of the epidemic and Most of the Indian population is still susceptible and vulnerable to SARS-COV-2 infection.

The report stated, 'The high proportion of cases and cases in India may be due to prioritization of screening of people with symptoms or differences in test rates across states. On 18 May, India's official count for coronavirus cases crossed the hundred thousand mark. The survey suggested that only men living in the city's slums and those potentially infected due to high-risk businesses were associated with seropositivity. '

The seropositivity was highest in the age group of 18 to 45 years (43.3 percent) followed by those in the age group of 46.60 years (39.5 percent). It was the lowest among people above 60 years (17.2 percent). About half of the participants in the survey were aged between 18 and 45 years and 51.5 percent were women. 18.7 percent of participants in all classes were at higher risk of exposure to potentially infected individuals. The ICMR has further recommended national and local sero surveys so that public health strategies to prevent and end epidemics in different parts of the country can get better information.

The survey said that there are many places where Covid-19 cases can be detected less because there is less investigation as well as a lack of access to testing laboratories. The survey found that in four of the 15 districts in such areas, the Covid-19 testing laboratory was not available at district headquarters, and samples were transported to state headquarters hospitals for examination.

The ICMR said in its report that seroprevalence estimates made later in the epidemic or more widely spread locations would better show the spread of infection and the proportion of cases and infections and deaths. Blood samples of a group of individuals are taken at serosurvey to check for antibodies to the Covid. If the test is positive then it shows that the person has been infected before. This survey, with scientific guidance, shows the percentage of people who are at greater risk of getting infected in that area or which areas where more infection can spread.