In Pune, close to 85 per cent of the people who had been found infected with coronavirus in an earlier serosurvey have developed protective antibodies, stated a new study. This is a first-of-its-kind finding for any city in India, reported the Indian Expess.
The latest finding is the result of a follow-up study conducted in five areas (comprising three or four municipal wards each) where a serosurvey was conducted earlier in July and August. The serosurvey had then found out that about 51 per cent of the people in Pune had been infected with the virus.
Meanwhile, Pune Municipal Corporation Mayor Murlidhar Mohol has on Friday asked the citizens to avoid crowds and going out unnecessarily.
Taking to Twitter, Mohol cautioned residents against the surging coronavirus cases and appealed them to take precautions if they venture out.
Stating that the coming month is crucial to control the spread of COVID-19 in the city, Mohol assured Punekars that the local body is prepared to deal with the spike and it has increased testing in the wake of increasing cases.
Besides, Pune reported 411 new coronavirus cases, taking its caseload to 1,65,837 on Thursday.
According to an update by Mohol, the death toll climbed to 4,407 with six new fatalities.
A total of 316 patients were discharged during the day, taking the number of active cases to 4,475. As of now, 1,56,955 people were discharged/ recovered. On Thursday, 3,329 tests were conducted taking the total count to 7,77,208.
In the neighbouring twin-city of Pimpri Chinchwad, 179 new COVID-19 cases were reported on November 19, taking the COVID-19 cases tally to 90,125. With four fatalities, the death toll in the twin-city reached 1,577 on Thursday.
