Bhubaneswar: Around 5.15 per cent of the residents living under the limits of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has already developed antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.
BMC Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary told the media on Friday that Bhubaneswar can be put in the category of the protected city since antibody prevalence is still very low here.
“The low antibody prevalence increases the risk of infection and this could lead to a further surge in the cases in near future,” he said.
The commissioner informed that 1500 to 1600 samples were collected at the community level during the Phase-2 of the survey. The high-risk group is yet to be tested, he said.
The first survey had shown antibody prevalence among 1.4 per cent of the city denizens.
Also Read: Sero Survey Finds 1.4% People In Odisha Capital Have COVID-19 Antibody
“Since the infection rate is increasing, we have to adhere to the COVID-19 guidelines of wearing masks, maintaining social distance and regular hand washing,” he added.
Bhubaneswar saw the biggest spike of 580 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday. The city has reported 3206 positive cases in the last seven days.
Also Read: 1.5 Lakh Population Of Odisha’s Berhampur Exposed To COVID-19
