Round 2 of sero-survey begins in J&K

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 29

As part of a national survey, Government Medical College, Srinagar, has started the second round of sero-survey for Covid-19 in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is conducting the sero-survey, “National sero-surveillance to monitor the trend of SARS-CoV-2 infection transmission in India: Community-based surveillance”, across 60 districts and 10 hotspot sites among all states and union territories of the country.

The survey is being conducted to see the changing trend of population response to SARS CoV-2 infection over these months since the first round was held in May.

Mohammad Salim Khan, head of community medicine, GMC, Srinagar, and nodal officer for the ICMR sero-survey for Pulwama, said in the second round the data would again be collected through an app and blood samples would be taken to assess immunoglobulin-gamma against SARS-CoV-2, which would determine infection in the recent past and the body’s immune response to the SARS CoV-2 infection.

“Each selected site collects data and blood samples of 400 participants comprising children over 10 years and adult population,” he said.

The ICMR is conducting the study through its regional centres. However, Dr Balram Bhargava, Director General, ICMR, and Secretary, Department of Health Research, MOHFW, again asked GMC, Srinagar, to conduct the study in Pulwama on its behalf.

In the first round, the sero-prevalence in Pulwama was found 2 per cent, higher than the national average of 0.73 per cent, while the recent study by GMC, Srinagar, in Srinagar showed prevalence of 3.8 per cent among general population, almost twice the prevalence in Pulwama. “However, this time, the sero-prevalence is expected to be more than the past,” Khan added.

Lt Guv Sinha opens talk on Covid

• Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday e-inaugurated a panel discussion on “Covid-19: Challenges and effective management”.
• The digital event was organised to observe the 105th jayanti celebrations of Shivaratri Rajendra Mahaswami. It facilitated student exchange and teacher training programmes between J&K and Karnataka.
• Sinha said the country, under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, had responded strongly amid Covid pandemic.

First round held in May

• The survey is being conducted to see the changing trend of population response to SARS CoV-2 infection over these months since the first round was held in May.
• In the first round, the sero-prevalence in Pulwama was found 2% — higher than the national average of 0.73%.