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The serological survey conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research ( ICMR) survey has revealed that two-thirds of the Indian population above the age of six have already been infected with the coronavirus, which also indicates that about 40 crore people are still susceptible to the virus.

The serosurvey was conducted in June and July after the second wave had begun to subside.

It states that a total of 28,975 people were tested for the presence of antibodies specific to the SARS-CoV2 virus, and 67.6% were found having them.

For the first time, minors in the age group of 6- 17 years were also included in the serosurvey, with antibodies interestingly discovered in nearly half of them.
In the third serosurvey, carried out in December 2020-January this year, less than 25% of the surveyed population was found to have the antibodies. In the first survey, carried out between May and June last year, only about 0.7% of people were found with antibodies. A subsequent exercise in August and September had found antibodies in 7.1% of people.

ICMR Director-General Dr. Balram Bhargava also warned the epidemic was far from over. He said that the implications of this large serosurvey clearly show that there is a ray of hope. But there is no room for complacency.

The survey found that the seroprevalence is higher among women (69.2% of total) than men (65.8%).

Among the different age groups, it was the highest, 77.6%, in the 45-60 age group.

Among the health-workers, 7,252 were surveyed and 85% of them were found to have antibodies against Covid-19, with Bhargava stressing the need to ensure full vaccination for all of them.