1 in 5 Delhi citizens infected with coronavirus: survey

Reflecting the severity of the pandemic in Delhi, an official survey by the Indian health ministry has found that at least one in five persons in the Indian capital has been exposed to coronavirus. 

Alarmed over the finding, Delhi Health Minister Satyender Jain today announced that such surveys will be conducted every month in Delhi henceforth, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

The first of these surveys will be held from August 1 to 5 in the city with more than two crore population.

The health ministry's survey of blood samples conducted from June 27 to July 10 also indicated that a large number of infected persons remained asymptomatic, increasing the chances of the spread.

The study on behalf of the ministry was done by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) across all the 11 districts of Delhi during which 21,387 blood samples were collected from selected individuals after taking written informed consent following which their sera were tested for IgG antibodies and infection. This was one of the largest sero-prevalence studies conducted in India.

Antibody testing repeatedly done over time, that is sero-surveillance, generates important evidence for assessing the spread of the pandemic from time to time.

Delhi health minister said the local government has decided to conduct sero-survey every month from now on in order to understand the spread of virus in the capital.

So far, Delhi has 125,096 Covid-19 cases and 3,690 deaths linked to the contagion.