Mumbai: Third sero-survey finds more women have antibodies

Health care workers conduct door-to-door screening at Kumbharwada in Dharavi. File pic

The third sero-survey conducted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has found an increase in antibodies among the non-slum population, but a more interesting trend is that the overall percentage of antibodies is higher in women compared to men. A similar pattern has also been noticed in terms of COVID-19 positivity. While 58 per cent of the samples collected from men have been found to be COVID positive, the same for women is 42 per cent.

A health care worker collects a swab sample for a COVID-19 test at LTT, Kurla, on Sunday. Pic/Sameer Markande

The survey has revealed an overall 36.30 per cent sero-positivity (presence of antibodies) of the 10,197 blood samples collected from citizens from across 24 wards. While the first sero-survey was conducted in July 2020 in three wards, the second one was done in August last year in the same wards. For the current survey, blood samples were collected from municipal dispensaries and private medical laboratories as well.

The findings have revealed that out of the samples collected, 35.02 per cent sero-positivity was found among men and 37.12 per cent among women. Further, blood samples taken from private laboratories in non-slum areas showed a sero-positivity of 28.5 per cent, which in the first survey was 16 per cent (in three wards) and 18 per cent in the second one.

The current survey has also found a 41.6 per cent sero-positivity in the blood samples taken from municipal dispensaries in slum areas. The first survey had revealed a 57 per cent sero-positivity in slum areas and it was 45 per cent for the second one.

Requesting anonymity, a civic official said, "We are implementing various preventive measures to limit the spread of COVID-19. In the process it is important to make certain scientific information available regarding the spread of the virus and thus we conducted the third sero-survey of citizens."

6.1 lakh
Total positive cases the city has recorded so far