A 14-member team from the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has arrived in Ludhiana to assess the spread of Covid-19 and the impact of the virus on people’s immune system.
Confirming the development, civil surgeon Dr Rajesh Bagga said that the team, which is coming from Pathankot, is in city for two days.“Starting Tuesday, they will visit areas from where Covid-19 cases were reported and also those from where no case of the infection was reported,” he said while adding that the team will also assess if the community transmission process has started or not.
Before visiting the city, the team had conducted surveys in Patiala, Jalandhar, Gurdaspur and Pathankot, said Dr Bagga.
Sources said that the team has divided the districts into 10 zones. The team will also collect samples from these zones and analyse factors such as population density and NRIs and people from other states living in the area.
The ICMR team will also visit rural areas to check the spread. The experts will meet patients who have won the battle against the virus.
Department sources said that this team will take 400 random samples for two days in the district.
Blood samples will be taken for the purpose of understanding the transmission of the virus and the extent of antibodies in people in the area. The team will also try to understand the immunity levels of different age groups.
Civil surgeon Dr Rajesh Bagga said that senior medical officer (SMOs), medical officers(MOs), (ANMs) and Asha workers will also accompany the team to the area.
