1 in every 5 adults had Covid by mid-Dec, says ICMR survey

New Delhi: More than one-fifth of the country’s adult population had at some point been infected by Covid-19 by mid-December, the third serological survey conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research shows.

The separate data released on seroprevalence among those aged 10-18 years was found to be 25.3%. The data released reflect the prevalence of antibodies, read as evidence that the person has had Covid-19. “Delhi was not a part of the survey. We have made statistical extrapolations so we can say that 21.4% of Indians were seropositive,” ICMR director general Balram Bhargava said. The third survey found a significant increase in prevalence among adults at 21.4%, up from 7.1% during the second survey in August. In the first survey conducted in April, only 0.7% prevalence was detected.