Covid-19: Mumbai comes long way, latest sero finds 86% resident have antibodies, check details

In a significant finding, the fifth sero-survey conducted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has shown that 86 percent of the population in the city has antibodies against Coronavirus. Out of the 8,674 sero samples collected from participants across the city, 86.64 percent had antibodies against Coronavirus, the Indian Express reported. The sero-survey finding is crucial amidst the fears of the third Coronavirus wave sweeping the country in future.

What makes the finding even more significant and revealing is the fact that the previous sero-survey conducted in the city in March this year showed only 36 percent participants had antibodies against Coronavirus. It must be taken into account that the latest sero-survey findings includes participants who have developed antibodies against the disease after being vaccinated. The BMC had been expecting an exponential rise in the sero-positivity rate among the residents of the city due to the Covid-19 vaccination drive that began at the beginning of this year. While the sero-positivity rate among partially and fully vaccinated individuals has been estimated at 90.26 percent, that among non-vaccinated participants remained at 79 percent.

The findings of the sero-survey this time are fairly uniform in different sections of the city as while the participants in the slum areas had a positivity rate of 87 percent whereas that in the non-slum areas had the sero positivity rate of 86.22 percent. In a statement released, the civic body of the city said that the report has revealed that the sero positivity rate has gone up significantly in both slum as well as non-slum areas in comparison to the last sero survey. The latest sero-survey was conducted under the supervision of the BMC during the period between August 12 and September 8 this year.

Speaking to the Indian Express, Deputy executive health officer in BMC, Dr Daksha Shah said that the findings are in line with the expectations and the civic body had wanted to include vaccinated as well as unvaccinated individuals in the survey to get comprehensive findings. Dr Shah however cautioned the residents of the city against getting complacent as he warned that the antibodies which emanate post infection fade away in a matter of few months.

The civic body further said that the sero positivity rate was considerably higher among the vaccinated participants and stressed on expanding the vaccination programme with greater force. Sharing the details about the sero-survey, the civic body said that participants aged above 18 years had been included from all 24 wards in the city through the systematic random sampling.