Agencies:

39% of Kashmir's population has COVID-19 antibodies: Sero Survey

Srinagar
November 19, 2020

A sero survey conducted in Kashmir has found that two out of every five people in the valley have developed antibodies against the Coronavirus.

The survey carried out in last month found the highest prevalence of antibodies in Pulwama at 43.1% and the lowest in Kulgam at 28.5 %.

"We conducted a sero survey in all 10 districts of Kashmir which has revealed that nearly 39 % of the 6,200 persons tested negative but had developed antibodies," said Dr. Muhammad Salim Khan, head of community medicine at Government Medical College here.

He said the survey was carried out in October on the heels of an exercise in Srinagar which had thrown up almost identical results.

While nearly 2,400 people were randomly tested in Srinagar, 400 people each were tested in the rest of the nine districts as part of the survey, he added.

Giving the district wise break up of the results, Khan said Pulwama recorded the highest prevalence of antibodies in 43.1 % of the survey population, followed by 43 % in Budgam, 42.3 % in Kupwara, 40.7 % in Srinagar, 39.8 % in Bandipora and 39.0 % in Ganderbal.

The first step survey was conducted in Srinagar in June. It showed the presence of antibodies in 3.8 % of the population.