Sero survey shows around 24% population in Delhi affected by COVID-19

The Centre on Tuesday (July 21) said that the results of sero survey in Delhi showed that 23.48% population in the national capital is affected by coronavirus COVID-19. The Centre, however, added that most patients in Delhi were asymptomatic.

The sero survey in Delhi was commissioned by Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the study has been done by the National Centre for Disease Control in collaboration with Delhi government. The study was conducted from June 27, 2020, to July 10, 2020.

The survey was conducted in 11 districts of Delhi and a total of 21,387 samples were collected as per lab standards. The samples were tested in order to identify the presence of antibodies in the general population. These test provides information about past infection due to COVID-19 in individuals who test positive for the deadly virus.

It was one of the largest sero-prevalence studies conducted in the country. The findings of the sero survey imply the following:

1. Nearly six months into the epidemic, only 23.48 per cent of the people are affected in Delhi, which has several pockets of dense population. This can be attributed to the proactive efforts taken by the Government to prevent the spread of infection.

2. However, a significant proportion of the population is still vulnerable. Therefore, containment measures need to continue with the same rigour. 

3. Non-pharmacological interventions such as physical distancing, use of face mask/cover, hand hygiene, cough etiquette and avoidance of crowded places, must be followed strictly.