A survey has shown higher than national average sero-prevalence of COVID19 in Kashmir’s least affected district, Pulwama, raising questions about the prevalence of the viral infection in other districts here.
A sero-prevalence survey carried out in May in district Pulwama by Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar on behalf of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has shown some “surprising results”. As per department of social and preventive medicine of GMC Srinagar, that carried out the survey, the sero-prevalence of COVID19 was 2 percent in Pulwama. ICMR has said that in non-containment zones, and low prevalence districts, of which Pulwama was a part when the study started, the prevalence was 0.73 percent.
Sero-prevalence involves testing for IgG levels in an individual’s blood, and tells whether they have been infected in the recent past with SARS CoV-2. It also helps in gauging the degree of protection they have achieved in terms of antibody response to the virus. The ICMR nationwide study covered 83 districts and hotspots with 26400 population covered.
Dr Saleem Khan, head department of social and preventive medicine at GMC Srinagar said that the results obtained from testing in Pulwama were suggestive of the prevalence of COVID19 in a particular community at a point dating back to two weeks prior to sampling. “The samples we took on 28 May would tell us how many people were infected, among those we tested, two weeks prior,” he said.
Pulwama was among the lowest prevalence districts of Kashmir around the time of the survey and had been selected based on this. Dr Khan said similar surveys in other districts and other populations could help in understanding the spread of infection.
Dr Khan said sero-prevalence was a measure of body’s immune response to COVID19 and it could also help in gauging whether antibodies provided some kind of protection against future infections.
He said sero-prevalence of COVID19 in healthcare professionals project started on Sunday. “We will be testing around 3000 samples of healthcare professionals in Srinagar district as a collaborative research project by Departments of Community Medicine and Biochemistry.”
“We shall be testing doctors, nursing paramedic, support staff of various Associated Hospitals of GMC Srinagar and various hospitals and health centers of Directorate of Health Services under CMO Srinagar,” he said.
A handout by the department said the blood samples would be collected and processed by Department of Biochemistry GMC Srinagar through ARCHITECT immunoassay analyzer which has been shown to have 100 percent sensitivity and specificity after 17 days of SARS CoV-2 exposure and clinical symptoms.
In addition, a sero-prevalence study in general population was also in pipeline.
Principal GMC Srinagar, Prof Samia Rashid said the sero-prevalence was an important measurement and the surveys will help in understanding the spread of COVID19 better. “Healthcare professionals are a high risk group and we are trying to test as many of them to safeguard lives,” she said.