Another finding of the study was that the antibodies were more prevalent in women (44.7%) than in men (37.5%).Coronavirus in Srinagar: 40% people in Srinagar have COVID-19 antibodies! The Government Medical College (GMC) in Srinagar conducted a study and found that 40% of the population in the district had antibodies for novel coronavirus, according to a report in IE. This is a significant jump from the findings of a study conducted in June, when only 3.8% of the people had been found to have antibodies, the report added. The study also showed that in some areas, between 50% and 67% of the population was found to have antibodies, the report added.
The report quoted study principal investigator and head of GMC Department of Community Medicine Dr Muhammad Salim Khan as saying that the study showed the a large portion of the population has been exposed to the novel coronavirus. Dr Khan added that the district should continue following the guidelines to prevent the infection rigorously so that the vulnerable population can remain safe, especially people with comorbidities and the elderly.
The survey was conducted by GMC along with the National Health Mission and the Directorate of Health Services. It tested more than 2,300 people belonging to different age groups and they were spread across 20 clusters in the district, including urban and rural areas. As many as 40.6% of the samples were sero-positive. GMC conducted the study only after receiving the permission of the institutional ethical committee.
The report quoted co-principal investigator of the study and GMC Biochemistry Department head Dr Sabhiya Majid as saying that the blood samples collected in both the rounds of the survey had been tested using the high-tech Architect analyser of Abbott Laboratories. The doctor added that this equipment was the same as used by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) when they recently conducted the nation-wide sero study.
Dr Khan said that if the study’s findings were extrapolated on the district’s general population, then it could be presumed that about 6 lakh people across Srinagar had been exposed to the virus out of the 15 lakh people. The doctor added that the survey was also being conducted in nine more districts of Kashmir, the results of which were expected soon.
Another finding of the study was that the antibodies were more prevalent in women (44.7%) than in men (37.5%).
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