THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The third round of the sero-epidemiological survey of Covid-19 spread spearheaded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has begun in the state. For the first time, health workers are also being screened along with the general population aged 18 years and above.
The survey that covers Ernakulam, Palakkad and Thrissur districts is being carried out by a 25-member team led by Dr Vimith C Wilson of the ICMR and coordinated by WHO consultants and state health department officials. The survey is expected to be completed by Thursday.
“The three districts were covered in the first and second rounds of the survey carried out from May 18 to 23 and August 24 to 26, respectively. In the third round, the survey in Palakkad has been concluded. It will cover Ernakulam on Monday and Tuesday, and Thrissur on Wednesday and Thursday,” said a health official.
It is learnt that a total of 300 health workers are being screened as part of the survey, which means 100 health workers from each district. Epidemiologists believe the results of the third round will be worth analysing especially because the infection transmission scenario has witnessed major changes since the second round.
“The state dealt with Onam clusters resulting in the epidemic curve soaring in October, which recorded the highest and second-highest daily tally of 11,755 and 10,606 positive cases, respectively. Then came the campaigning and local body elections. Thus, the results of the third round will be of interest,” said an epidemiologist at a government medical college.
In the case of health workers, the screening is important as various medical associations have pointed out that the frontline warriors are more prone to get infected than others.
In the state, more than 9,600 health workers have tested positive for Covid-19 so far as per official records. According to the associations, undetected cases and past infection cases will be many among health workers.
The last two surveys identified a total of 15 people, who had developed IgG antibody, highlighting past infection without their knowledge. Four cases were detected in the first survey and 11 others in the second survey, which means the IgG positivity went up from 0.33 per cent to 0.8 per cent.
However, a document released by the health department in October that the findings of the two surveys needed to be seen in the context of the vulnerability of the state such as the high density of population, influx of people from outside the country and other states, and high percentage of the elderly population and people with morbidities.