36% in Mumbai have Covid-19 antibodies, says report

Nearly 36.3 per cent people in Mumbai are found to have antibodies, according to the latest round of sero-survey done by BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) coinciding with the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Overall 36.3% seropositivity is found in 10,197 blood samples collected from citizens from across all 24 municipal wards of Mumbai, according to the report. According to the survey, 35.02% seropositivity is found amongst men and 37.12% in women.

There has been an increase in the percentage of sero positivity in blood samples taken from non-slum areas; where as decline reported in the slums areas.

The sero survey, conducted using unlinked anonymous sampling method, found positivity/IgG antibodies in 36.30%, according to the Public Health Department of BMC.

With the initiative of BMC, the first sero survey of the citizens was conducted in July 2020 in three wards. The second sero survey, was conducted in August 2020 in the same three wards.

Now, results of the third sero survey conducted in March 2021 across all 24 wards of Mumbai is being released.

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For the survey, blood samples collected at municipal dispensaries were tested. The survey also included blood samples collected from private medical laboratories.

This sero survey was conducted on blood samples collected from individuals who were not vaccinated. All blood samples have been tested for antibodies at BMC’s Molecular Biology Laboratory in the Kasturba Hospital premises.

In the lastest sero survey, 41.6% seropositivity was found in the blood samples taken from municipal dispensaries in slum areas.

The first survey, conducted in July 2020, found 57% seropositivity in slum areas of 3 wards and during the second sero survey conducted in August 2020 in these 3 wards, sero positivity was found to be 45% in slum areas.

Blood samples taken from private laboratories in non-slum areas showed sero positivity of 28.5% in the latest survey this year. In the first survey conducted in July 2020, seropositivity in the non-slum areas was 16% in 3 wards and during the second sero survey, conducted in August 2020, sero positivity was found to be 18% in non-slum areas.

During the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, a large number of patients are being detected from non-slum areas. Findings from the survey, therefore, appear to corroborate with the current trend.