BMC: 51% of Mumbai kids between 1 to 18 years have developed antibodies against COVID-19, reveals sero survey

A paediatric sero-survey conducted ahead of the covid third wave has revealed that 51.18% of children between 1 to 18 years in Mumbai have developed antibodies against coronavirus, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said on Monday.

For the study a total of 2,176 blood samples was collected between April and June, it said.

The survey was conducted by BYL Nair Hospital and Kasturba Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory (KMDL). The study also revealed that the proportion of the pediatric population having antibodies has increased compared to the earlier sero-survey, BMC said in a release.

A sero-survey involves testing of blood serum of a group of people and the findings are used to monitor trends in prevalence.

By the end of this week, another study by IIT Kanpur on the third wave is expected to come. Profs. Rajesh Ranjan and Mahendra Verma, along with their team at IIT Kanpur, provide daily COVID-19 forecasts in India on covid19-forecast.org.

The 3rd wave is said to affect children disproportionately, the BMC had directed to conduct the sero-survey of the pediatric population.

The key findings of this study suggest that more than 50 per cent of the children have already been exposed to SARS-COV-2.

'The overall sero-positivity is 51.18 per cent including 54.36 per cent from the public sector and 47.03 per cent from the private sector,' the release said, adding that sero-positivity is the highest in the age group 10-14 years at 53.43 per cent.

The sero-positivity rate in children of 1 to 4 years is 51.04 per cent, while it is 47.33 per cent in the age group of 5 to 9 years, 53.43 per cent in 10 to 14 years, and 51.39 per cent in 15 to 18 years. The overall sero-positivity rate of 1 to 18 years is 51.18 per cent, it said.