PGIMER, Chandigarh health department to conduct city’s first sero survey

The information collected in the survey gives a wide-angle picture over time of how the virus has spread in a particular area

The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) and the UT health department are planning to conduct the city’s first sero survey to determine the spread of Covid-19 infection in the Union Territory.

The Punjab and Haryana governments have already conducted sero surveys in Mohali and Panchkula districts, respectively. (HT FILE)

Dr Jagat Ram, director, PGIMER, said the department of community medicine had sought support from the UT health department for conducting the survey and received a positive response.

“We are in the planning phase: the survey will be conducted among the urban and rural population of the city. Sample size and other modalities will be decided by the community medicine and virology departments. We have communicated to the health department that we will provide assistance in terms of analysis and testing, too, and they have responded positively,” the director said.

Meanwhile, the Punjab and Haryana governments have already conducted sero surveys in Mohali and Panchkula districts, respectively.

Sero surveys involve testing of blood samples of healthy people for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies. The results are an estimate of the proportion of people who have been infected in the past. This information gives a wide-angle picture over time of how the virus has spread in a particular area.

Recently during the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine trials, 7.6% of the volunteers were found to have antibodies even though the active infection was not detected prior to their screening.