COVID Scare: Sero Survey Begins In Odisha’s Rourkela

Rourkela: A five-day-long serological survey started here in Odisha’s Sundargarh district on Monday to analyse the extent and penetration of COVID-19 infection.

Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) with support from Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) took up the survey in the city.

The state government has taken effective steps to prevent the infection of coronavirus. A 17-member team has been formed for this purpose which will collect blood samples of 2,500 citizens for analysis.

Samples will be collected from the slums and hotspots of Rourkela. Blood samples will also be collected from various wards, vending zones, hospitals, jails, police personnel and municipal corporations. The collected blood samples will then be sent to RMRC, Bhubaneswar for tests.

Antibody response to COVID-19 infection in an individual is revealed through the serological test. Antibodies against COVID-19 are produced in the body of an infected person over days to weeks after getting infected. The survey is targeted to test antibody seropositivity in the population here. It can throw light on the extent of infection in the population of the region.

The COVID-19 tally in Sundargarh district has gone up to 4,419 on Monday. With 36 deaths and 3650 recoveries, the district now has 729 active cases.