Health officials are said to be planning a sero-surveillance in certain parts of the State to estimate the number of people who are exposed to the novel coronavirus. However, the dates on which the study will be conducted are yet to be decided.
Through sero-surveillance, researchers try to find the number of people who have antibodies against the virus. This is used to draw an estimated number of people who were exposed to coronavirus. This form of surveillance was carried out last year. It gained prominence in the State in first week of March when it was announced that 54% population of Hyderabad and Secunderabad within the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits have been found to be have antibodies against coronavirus.
This was found in a sero-surveillance conducted jointly by Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, National Institute of Nutrition, and Bharat Biotech International Limited on a sample size of about 9,000 participants.
When Director of Public Health G. Srinivasa Rao was asked if they would conduct such surveillance individually, the senior official said they would do so in certain parts of districts at an appropriate time.
