ICMR unlikely to commission new serosurvey

Vaccination drive likely to throw up erroneous inferences, experts

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is unlikely to immediately undertake a fourth national serology survey to estimate the extent of exposure to the coronavirus since January. Officials told The Hindu that though discussions were still on, undertaking such a study presented newer logistical challenges and the ongoing vaccination drive could read to erroneous inferences. The ICMR has conducted three since May 2020 and found that the exposure to the virus was much higher than that was reported by confirmed cases. The that measured the spread of infection between August and December found that 21% of India's adult population and 25% of those in the 10-17 age group may have been infected. However, India's devastating second wave began around mid-March amidst a vaccination programme that prioritised healthcare, frontline workers and senior citizens.