Even though the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Saturday advised all states and union territories to start conducting sero-survey, a test of the blood serum, to check the levels of exposure to the coronavirus using antibody testing method, the Chandigarh administration has no plans to follow through.

Earlier, a report by experts on the outbreak of Covid-19 in Bapu Dham Colony had also suggested a similar exercise after seeking permission from ICMR. The recommendation has not been implemented so far.

Besides testing individuals in containment zones like Bapu Dham, ICMR had advised conducting a survey of high-risk or vulnerable populations (health-care workers, frontline workers, immune-compromised individuals, security staff, prisoners) to know who was infected in the past and has now recovered.

The Bapu Dham containment zone has recorded more than 220 infections accounting for most of the total cases in the UT. The authorities here have been utilising real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method of testing. Mostly high-risk individuals, contacts of the positive persons and patients with symptoms have been tested.

In this type of test, the blood samples are analysed for antibodies using the Elisa method, which is an enzyme-based laboratory test that detects and quantifies antibodies in blood that will determine a past infection due to the virus.

Director health services, UT, Dr G Dewan said they were awaiting guidelines from the ministry of health and family welfare.

When contacted, health secretary Arun Kumar Gupta said, "We do not have kits and such exercises can only be undertaken after we receive the required material from ICMR," adding that they would like to follow what bigger states were doing in this regard.

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