205 confirmed cases but 21,000 sero positive in Wardha dist on August 1

WARDHA: An antibody survey conducted by Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (MGIMS) and the district health department in the district in August has revealed the real spread of Covid-19. When there were only 205 confirmed cases of Covid in the district on August 1, about 21,000 people were already infected with the coronavirus, said the sero survey. However, the rate of infection is only 1.50% and the study shows that it will take a long time for the population to develop herd immunity.
To find out the exact number of people infected with coronavirus in the district, it was necessary to study whether antibodies were present in the population. This is because rate of infection is always higher in the population than in patients confirmed by actual testing.
The community based sero-survey in the district was conducted by MGIMS, Sewagram, with the support of the district administration. The survey, conducted between August 10 and 17, estimated the actual prevalence of infection in adults (18 years or older). In addition to the general population in all eight talukas of Wardha district, people living in containment zones and those at risk of infection were included in the study.
The survey team comprising of district health system as well as MGIMS health care staff, visiting 30 villages, 10 urban wards and 20 containment zones. It collected blood samples from 2,430 individuals. They tested for presence of antibodies against SARS-Cove-2 in the microbiology department of MGIMS.
Of the 2,437 individuals surveyed, 1,468 were from the general population, 562 were from high-risk groups and 407 were residents of containment zones. The high-risk groups surveyed included health care workers, police and security personnel, government employees, vegetable and milk vendors, industrial workers and media personnel.
A seroprevalence of 1.5% (1.2% in rural areas and 2.34% in urban areas) was observed in the general population. The seroprevalence in the containment zone was 2.70%. Seroprevalence was 1.42% in the high-risk groups, which was similar to the general population.
It takes about 1-2 weeks for the level of antibodies to rise in the blood. This survey reflects the actual transition rate from the last week of July to the first week of August. Considering the 1.5% seroprevalance in general population, Wardha district had about 21,000 patients infected with the coronavirus till August 1. At that time, there were only 205 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the district. This means that for every patient confirmed in the laboratory, about 100 people were infected.
There are two main reasons for this. First, people without symptoms have a higher rate of infection (asymptomatic infection). Second, patients with symptoms due to fear and stigma about the disease have refrained from seeking medical treatment and testing for Covid-19, said the administration.
This suggests the district needs to continue its aggressive stance against the disease and provide facilities for the growing number of Covid-19 cases, which can be expected to increase further. The capacity building effort should include increasing number of beds in Covid Care Centers and Covid Hospitals to care for moderately and critically ill patients.
At the same time, people have to play their role by not travelling unnecessarily, wearing masks outside the house, washing hands frequently, and getting medical care in case of fever and cough. District collector Vivek Bhimanwar has appealed to patients suffering from fever, cough and shortness of breath to come forward and seek medical treatment immediately.