Delhi: Serology Survey To Determine The Spread Of Covid-19 To Start From Tomorrow

Amid the surge in Covid-19 cases in Delhi, a serological survey will be carried out in the national capital from Saturday (26 June) to determine the spread of the Coronavirus and to prepare a broad strategy to combat the pandemic, the Ministry of Home Affairs has said, reports The Hindu.

“As per the directives of HM @AmitShah, discussion was done on the serological survey in Delhi, which will be carried out jointly by NCDC and Delhi Government," the MHA said in a tweet.

“Survey will begin from June 27, training of all the concerned survey teams was completed yesterday,” it added.

Serology (antibody) tests are carried out to understand the proportion of population exposed to an infection. These tests can be used on people who have already been tested positive for the virus or even those who are asymptomatic, and can reveal insights on immunity against coronavirus.

The MHA had earlier said that the serological survey will be done for entire Delhi between 27 June-10 July. In the survey, sample testing of over 20,000 persons will be carried out.

The survey will enable authorities to determine the spread of Coronavirus after which a broad strategy can be prepared to combat the pandemic in Delhi.

The development came after Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Thursday (25 June) reviewed the implementation of various decisions on Covid-19 situation in Delhi, which were taken on 21 June in a meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

HM Amit Shah also approved the combined use of Aarogya Setu and Itihaas apps as strong predictive tools for future detection of COVID outbreaks in population clusters, the MHA said.