Findings of the study show sero-prevalence was 55.7% in the less-than-18-years group and 63.5% among adults of age 18 years and above.
“The SARS-CoV-2 sero-positivity rate among children was high and comparable to the adult population. Hence, it is unlikely that any future third wave by prevailing Covid-19 variant would disproportionately affect children two years or older,” said a pre-print of the study published in medRxiv.
The study was conducted in five selected states with a total sample size of 10,000. Data of 4,500 participants from four states were taken for midterm analysis, whereas more results are likely to come in the next two-three months.
The study findings show that irrespective of the age-groups, rural sites had lower sero-positivity compared to urban areas. Within the rural sites, children had slightly lower sero-positivity compared to adults. “However, this differential prevalence was not observed in the urban sites,” the study said.