KATHMANDU, July 20: The Ministry of Health and Population is set to study whether the COVID-19 infection has spread to the community level.  The Epidemiology and Infectious Disease Control Division is launching a 'sero prevalence survey' to find out the number of people affected by the pandemic. The nationwide survey  will be supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Division Director Dr Basudev Pandey said. 

The Division earlier conducted the coronavirus test of 5,000 people through PCR procedures to trace the scale of infections in the community level.  

Under the sero- survey, the Division will reach out to the community  to collect blood samples for the test.  The sero-survey involves the  testing of blood serum of individuals to detect the history of prevalence of virus on the human body. It is a serological test to check for the prevalence of antibodies on the human body to find whether a person has already been infected by the COVID-19 virus.  

About 97 percent of COVID-19 infected in the country are asymptotic.  The Division will focus on the areas reporting a higher number of cases in all the seven states. The Division's senior public health office administrator Mahendradhwaj Adhikari said the preparations to launch the survey has reached a final phase. 

A total of 315,570 people have undergone the PCR tests, and 17,658 have been tested positive for the virus. The number of recovery cases is 11,695 and the death toll from the virus has reached 40 in the country.

 
• sero_survey
 
• COVID-19