Over 300 samples collected from Puri in 3 days of sero test

BHUBANESWAR: The Regional Medical Research Centre(RMRC) has collected more than 300 samples on the third day of the serological survey in Puri. The survey, which was started in Puri on June 27, resumed on Friday after the Rath Yatra festival got over. Around 110 samples had been collected from the district on the first day of the survey to find out about the extent of Covid-19 spread.
The RMRC and health department team collect blood samples from professionals involved in healthcare, municipal and transport employees besides police and some people chosen from the community.
In the first phase, the state government will conduct the sero survey in urban areas of Puri, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Cuttack and Ganjam district. It was initially planned for four districts. But the state government is planning to conduct this survey in five other districts. This survey will cover 10,000 people in nine districts, said the government sources.
RMRC director Sanghamitra Pati said they are planning to draw samples for sero survey from Bhubaneswar from Saturday or Monday. “We have resumed our survey in Puri from Friday. We had stopped it for Bahuda Yatra and Suna Besha of the holy trinity,” she added.
Pati said the survey will be conducted in particular areas where Covid-19 case rate is high. “We will use cluster sampling method for this survey. Clusters will be selected from each district and survey will be done according to the guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR),” she added.
The survey team draws samples randomly from different clusters of select districts. They want to see whether any antibody has been developed in the bodies of the people or not, RMRC sources said. “Antibodies develop when an antigen (coronavirus has also antigen) enters the human body. Our antibody tests will reveal it,” he added..