Abstract
To understand the spread of SARS-CoV2, in August and September 2020, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (India) conducted a serosurvey across its constituent laboratories and centers across India. Of 10,427 volunteers, 1058 (10.14%) tested positive for SARS-CoV2 anti-nucleocapsid (anti-NC) antibodies, 95% of which had surrogate neutralization activity. Three-fourth of these recalled no symptoms. Repeat serology tests at 3 (n = 607) and 6 (n = 175) months showed stable anti-NC antibodies but declining neutralization activity. Local seropositivity was higher in densely populated cities and was inversely correlated with a 30-day change in regional test positivity rates (TPRs). Regional seropositivity above 10% was associated with declining TPR. Personal factors associated with higher odds of seropositivity were high-exposure work (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval, p value: 2.23, 1.92-2.59, <0.0001), use of public transport (1.79, 1.43-2.24, <0.0001), not smoking (1.52, 1.16-1.99, 0.0257), non-vegetarian diet (1.67, 1.41-1.99, <0.0001), and B blood group (1.36, 1.15-1.61, 0.001).
Highlights
The World Health Organization declared SARS-CoV-2 infection as a pandemic on March 11, 2020 (WHO, 2020)
The current study was launched by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in its more than 40 constituent laboratories and centers spread all over the country, representing a wide range of ethnicities, geosocial habitats, and occupational exposures in the form of a longitudinal cohort (Phenome-India Cohort)
Lab-wise seropositivity was correlated with the regional change in test positivity rates (TPRs)
Summary
The World Health Organization declared SARS-CoV-2 infection as a pandemic on March 11, 2020 (WHO, 2020). Serological surveys have confirmed that spread beyond the Indian megacities was minimal in early May– June, with less than 1% seropositivity outside the designated containment zones, suggesting that the lockdown had been effective in limiting the spread (Murhekar et al, 2020a). This was not without human and economic costs. A national serosurvey in 70 districts of India, conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), had a reported crude positivity rate of about 10% (Murhekar et al, 2020b).
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