Mumbai, three districts in Maharashtra in pan-India study to gauge spread of Covid-19

MUMBAI: The city of Mumbai, along with three other districts of Maharashtra, will be part of a pan-India seroprevalence study to estimate the extent of community spread of Covid-19 in the country. The study is being conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). As part of the first phase of the study, samples will be collected from 10 randomly selected households from seven city wards on April 29 and 30.

The study will be conducted across 85 districts from 25 Indian states and will collect data from a mix of hotspots and less affected areas.  Mumbai has been selected as one of the hotspots. Around 40 samples will be collected from each ward from people above 18 years of age.

According to officials, the results from the study will help the states decide on extending or relaxing the lockdown. Moreover, it will also help in understanding if the people have developed antibodies in response to the virus and what proportion of the population is exposed to the virus.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has said that the second phase of the study will be conducted 15 days after the first phase and that the next phase of samples will be taken two months later.