Bhubaneswar: The civic authority has started Sero Surveilance for COVID-19 here in the capital city Saturday.
It will be of immense help to know the immunological status of the community and high risk groups.
With technical support from RMRC (ICMR), Bhubaneswar, the surveillance is being conducted according to the COVID-19 guidelines, informed BMC Commissioner Prem Chandra Choudhary.
Random samples will be collected from different high risk groups and community members like Immuno-compromised patients, health care workers, security personnel, press corps, municipal workers, drivers, orisons, shopkeepers/ vendors, airport workers, urban slums, migrant camps and containment zones.
For this surveillance, around 25 wards have been identified. While the designing of sample collection has been made based on the categories of high risk groups, the teams will be visiting the people for the testing. In each ward one cluster has been chosen.
The surveillance comprises of two rounds. While the first round will take around 10-12 days, the next will start after 28 days of the first round as per technical mandate. The exact date for the second round will be decided later.
For the commencement of first round, five teams have been formed. Each team comprises of around 7-10 members. These teams are being guided by RMRC personnel. Samples will be collected from community members 11th and 12th July.
As per a rough estimation, around 1,600 samples will be collected from high risk and slum pockets and 900 from community members. It means, a total of 2,500 samples will be collected in the first round which is technically decided.
The wards to be covered July 11 are ward no – 2, 4, 7, 19, 27, 29, 32, 40, 42, 45, 54, 56 and 59. Similarly ward no – 9, 12, 22,24,35,37,48,51,62 and 65 will be covered July 12.
Concerned ward officer under ZDCs will be guiding the teams.
PNN