Jammu and Kashmir: ICMR survey’s 4th round in Pulwama in 3rd week of June

A statement issued here said that ICMR is conducting the fourth round of ‘National sero-survey forCOVID-19’ in June 2021 in the same 70 districts in which the first three rounds were conducted. 

This survey would cover the general population aged 6 years and above and healthcare workers workingin district hospitals of these districts. 

The findings of the sero survey would help in ascertaining the current situation of Covid-19 situation inIndia.In J&K, the survey would be conducted in Pulwama district through Department of CommunityMedicine, Government Medical College, Srinagar during the third week of June for which a meeting withDC PulwamaBaseer-ul-Haq, CMO Pulwama Dr Hassina Mir and District Epidemiologist Dr Syed Arshad washeld to chalk out the plan as per the ICMR guidelines. 

During the survey, 400 blood samples would be collected across the already-designated 10 cluster and100 samples from healthcare providers in district Pulwama, said Dr S Muhammad Salim Khan, HODCommunity Medicine and Nodal Officer for Pulwama study by ICMR. 

In the last three rounds conducted in 2020, the sero-prevalence of SARS CoV-2 infection among the generalpopulation was found to be 2 percent, 27.3 percent and 31.5 percent during the months of May-June,August-September and December 2020. 

This fourth round has important significance due to the widespread infection during the second Covid19 wave and the vaccination drive against SARS CoV-2 infection among the adult population during lastfour to five months.
The study for Pulwama district is coordinated by ICMR’s National Institute of Epidemiology andfacilitated by National Institute of Research on Tuberculosis Chennai.