India’s official coronavirus case count has significantly underestimated the number of infected people, according to a national serological survey conducted by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). For every covid case that was detected in May, there were 82-130 infections that went undiagnosed, according to the study published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research. The overall seroprevalence, or the number of people exposed to SARS-CoV-2 by mid-May,was just 0.73% of the Indian adult population, the study found. Health experts estimate herd immunity to kick in once at least half the population has developed immunity to the deadly virus. Epidemiologists said that despite high recoveries, India’s covid-19 situation remains critical with the ICMR study, also stating that the majority of the population is still susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Source: Mint September 12, 2020 01:16 UTC