Berhampur: As Covid-19 situation continues to remain grim in Ganjam district, Regional Medical Research Center (RMRC) Bhubaneswar in collaboration with the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) authorities has begun serological surveillance in the silk city.
As per reports, five teams comprising the staff of BeMC and RMRC have started the survey at 10 high-risk zones of the city.
The teams will collect around 2500 blood samples in five days- 1000 from people belonging to high-risk categories and 1500 from randomly selected persons.
RMRC scientist Jaisen Khatri said, “After Bhubaneswar, the serosurvey is now being carried out in Berhampur. The serological surveillance will help us sense the immunity status in the community level against Covid-19. This will also help in assessing the level of exposure to coronavirus and enable us to know when the peak of the disease will come.”
“The aim of the serological survey being done here is to check for antibodies in the blood samples and figure out the extent of the spread of the infection. Five teams have been engaged in the survey in 10 wards of the city. The blood samples will be sent to RMRC for examination,” said a member of the medical team conducting the survey at ward no.6 of Berhampur.
Many people have volunteered and reached the camps across the city for the sero survey, added reports.
“The BeMC has asked one person from each family to take up the antibody test which is why I am here,” said Suresh Kumar Acharya, a resident of Harihar Nagar.
The survey will be carried out again after a gap of one month during which 2500 more blood samples would be collected different people.
Serological survey is conducted to assess the percentage of the population that could have developed antibodies against coronavirus infection. Antibodies are proteins produced by the body’s immune system to fight external organisms like viruses that may have entered the body.
Ganjam on Monday reported 331 new coronavirus cases taking the Covid-19 tally in the district to 11,323. While 106 have succumbed so far in the district, active cases stand at 3686.
(Edited By Devbrat Patnaik)
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