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One In 20 People Showed Evidence Of COVID-19 By End Of July In Puducherry

Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry has found in a survey that the positivity rate for antibodies was higher in the urban population than the rural population of the Union Territory

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Highlights
  • Of the total of 869 adults, 43 had antibodies against COVID-19: Survey
  • Results reflected the occurrence of exposure in people of the UT: JIPMER
  • Puducherry has so far reported over 2,200 COVID-19 cases

Puducherry: One in 20 people in Puducherry showed evidence of COVID-19 infection by the end of July while the positivity rate for antibodies was higher in the urban population than the rural population, a community-based survey conducted by the centrally-administered JIPMER (Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research) has found. The premier medical institution here conducted the survey to study the prevalence of antibodies in serum (blood) in an attempt to find the extent of spread of coronavirus infection (SARS-COVID) among the population in Puducherry.

Also Read: Children Can Have COVID-19 Antibodies, Virus In Their System Simultaneously, States A Study

A JIPMER release on Friday said the survey found that “one in 20 persons in Puducherry district showed evidence of coronavirus infection by the end of July.”

Experts from the Departments of Preventive and Social Medicine and Microbiology constituted the team, selected patients and collected blood samples. They also conducted the tests and analysed the results. The release said blood samples were collected from randomly selected adults aged 18 years and above from 30 clusters with the ratio of urban and rural areas being 21:9 to reflect population distribution in the Union Territory.

The samples were collected between August 11 and 16. The presence of antibodies was tested using immune assay (procedure to detect or measure specific proteins or other substances through their properties as antigens or antibodies) with reported sensitivity of 99.5 per cent and specificity of 99.8 per cent at more than 14 days after exposure to the virus.

Also Read: COVID-19 Symptomatic Patients Must Be Transferred To Hospitals At Earliest: VP Singh Badnore

Of the total of 869 adults, 43 had antibodies against novel coronavirus (4.9 per cent). The study also found that the positivity rate for antibodies was higher in the urban population as against the rural populace (5.7 per cent in comparison to 3.1 per cent)and among women than in men (6.3 per cent compared to 3.6 percent).

It said the results reflected the occurrence of exposure in people residing in Puducherry by July 24. The total number of confirmed cases in Puduchery district by that date was 2,271 with a cumulative incidence of 0.19 percent for the population. The proportion of people with presence of antibodies in blood was nearly 26-foldlarger than that of cases diagnosed by RT-PCR as on July 24, the release stated. It said JIPMER proposed to undertake a ‘repeat survey’ in the second or third week of this month to assess the extent of exposure by last week of August.

Also Read: Everyone Could Be A Carrier: Covering The Pandemic In Rural India

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) 

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (WaterSanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollutionwaste managementplastic banmanual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.  

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