INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Bengaluru: At least 1.93 crore or 27.3 per cent of the people in Karnataka are either infected by coronavirus or had the infection in the
past, as of 16 September, revealed a survey by the government to estimate the prevalence of COVID-19 in the state.Sharing details of the
findings, Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said the survey was carried out from September 3 to 16 across 30 districts in the
has to have clear information on how it is spreading in the community in the districts, how to prevent its spread and action to be taken
Hence, this survey was conducted," said the minister.The sample size is 16,585 in the entire state.Of this, the test reports of 15,624 have
been submitted, he added.Besides the Rapid Antigen Test and the RT PCR, IgG test was also carried out.Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is the most
common antibody in blood and other body fluids, which protects against the bacterial and viral infections
cent."Out of 7.07 crore estimated population in Karnataka, the study estimates that 1.93 crore (27.3 per cent) of the people are either
currently infected or already had the infection in the past, as of 16 September 2020," the report said.It further stated that the present
IFR is likely an underestimate.The overall IFR based on the first round of sentinel serosurvey findings is 0.07 per cent.Based on the
population, 16.4 per cent of the people were infected in the past and found to have IgG antibodies against SARS CoV-2," the finding
revealed.The report mentioned that the districts with a high Infection Fatality Rate (IFR) need clinical care to be improved.Noting that the
state was passing through different stages of COVID-19 pandemic in different districts, the report said the surge in cases is yet to occur
in the districts with the lowest estimated prevalence of COVID-19 such as Dharwad, Gadag, Chikkaballapur, Bagalkot, and Mahadevapura in
trend of infection in the long term systematically.This can inform local decision-making at the district level to mount the necessary public
health response towards the COVID-19 epidemic in Karnataka.The government said that a follow-up survey has been planned to measure the
extent and speed of transmission and evaluate the impact of containment strategies over time in the state.
