In a sero survey, conducted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) it has been found that 36.30 percent of the total samples have developed antibodies for the virus.
In an attempt to implement various preventive measures, the civic body is working towards procuring certain scientific information that would help the civic body to understand the nature of the spread.
This was the third sero survey, that was conducted by the BMC in the past year, the sample for the survey was collected by using the 'Unlinked Anonymous Sampling Method'.
A total of 10,197 random blood samples were collected from slums and non-slum areas of the city. Most of the blood samples comprised of samples collected from individuals who were not vaccinated. Alongside this, samples were also collected from private laboratories and dispensaries and were tested at the molecular laboratory at Kasturba Hospital.
According to the findings, 35 percent of sero positivity was found amongst men and 37 percent of the positivity was found amongst women.
Around 41 percent of seropositivity was found in samples taken from municipal dispensaries of slum areas.
Blood samples taken from private laboratories in non-slum areas showed sero positivity of 28.5% in the current survey this year.
The first survey, conducted in July 2020, found 57 percent sero positivity in slum areas of 3 wards and during the second sero survey, conducted in August 2020 in these 3 wards, sero positivity was found to be 45 percent in slum areas.
Meanwhile, in the first survey conducted in July 2020, seropositivity in the non-slum areas was 16 percent in three wards and during the second sero survey, conducted in August 2020, sero positivity was found to be 18 percent in non-slum areas.
As per the findings, the BMC said that the sero positivity in slum areas is decreasing and that in non-slum areas is increasing.
"During the second wave of COVID infection, a large number of patients are being detected from non-slum areas. Findings from the survey, therefore, appear to corroborate with the current trend" - said the BMC report.
"Based on the survey, it can be suggested that the vaccination campaign should be accelerated in order to limit the spread of the COVID-19," the report added.
