A new study analysing data from Madurai shows that men, as well as the elderly and people with comorbidities, are more likely to develop symptoms when infected with Covid-19, while the risk of asymptomatic infections in children and young people has not changed. The study analyzed the surveillance data of more than 440,000 samples, which were tested for Covid-19 by RT-PCR in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, and was the first to classify symptomatic and asymptomatic Covid-19 cases in India. It analyzes the risk factors for infection (symptomatic and asymptomatic) and mortality, and explores the completeness of epidemiological reports in the region. Also, the seroprevalence rate of 15 years of age or older at the end of the study period was 40.1% (95% CI 35·8–44·6), indicating that among all infections in this age group, RT-PCR clinical testing and surveillance testing only identify 1·4% (1·3–1·6%). The research has now been published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases (Impact Factor: 25.071)

This study used chemiluminescence iFlash-SARS-CoV-2 IgG kits produced by Shenzhen YHLO Biotech Co., Ltd to conduct a state-wide cross-sectional serosurvey, which process 95.9% sensitivity and 95.7% specificity.

*Original publication:

Laxminarayan R, Vinay T G, Kumar K V A, et al. SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality during the first epidemic wave in Madurai, south India: a prospective, active surveillance study[J]. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2021.

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