Covid-19: Third Sero survey results for Mumbai out; 36.30% residents positive

MUMBAI: The third Sero survey results for Mumbai showed that 36.30 per cent of the residents were positive.
According to the Sero survey, 35.02 per cent of men were found to be positive.
Among women, 37.12 per cent positivity was found.
10,197 residents were surveyed across the city’s 24 wards.
Sero-prevalence means the presence of antibodies against Covid-19 in the population.
Officials said that there was an increase in the percentage of sero positivity in blood samples taken from non-slum areas, while there was a decrease in percentage in slum areas.
According to the data, during the latest Sero survey, 41.6 per cent positivity was found in the blood samples taken from the civic hospitals (slum areas).
The first survey, conducted in July 2020 had found that the slums accounted for 57 per cent.
A second Sero survey, conducted in August 2020 and found a 45 per cent positivity rate slum population.
A third Sero survey to estimate the proportion of Mumbaikars infected by Covid-19 in the past year started on March 1 this year.
The methodology of the third survey is also quite different from the earlier ones in which Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) staff collected samples from various colonies after taking informed consent from patients.
For the third survey, it is only looking at samples of patients testing positive in public as well as private laboratories in each ward.
Officials said that as part of the third Sero survey, blood samples were collected from civic clinics and blood samples were also taken from private laboratories.
However blood samples were taken from individuals who had not taken the Covid-19 vaccination.
All blood samples were tested for antibodies at the Molecular Biology Laboratory housed at the BMC’s Kasturba Hospital premises.
The results which were published on Saturday showed that blood samples taken from private laboratories (non slum areas) showed a sero positivity of 28.5 per cent this year.
In the first survey conducted in July 2020, the non-slum positivity was 16 per cent.
In the second Sero survey, conducted in August 2020, there was 18 per cent Sero positivity in non-slum areas.
Officials said that from the latest Sero survey results, it is clear that the percentage of sero positivity in slum areas is decreasing and in non-slum areas the sero positivity is increasing.
“Considering that currently patients are being found in large numbers from non-slum areas during the second wave of Coronavirus, the findings from the Sero survey show that this corresponds to the current on ground situation. Based on this survey, it has been suggested that the vaccination campaign should be accelerated for Covid prevention,” a senior civic official said.