AMN
More than 70 per cent of people in the capital city Dhaka have been found to have COVID-19 antibodies in their blood samples. In a study conducted by the international research organisation International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) located in Dhaka, it was observed that Dhaka had a seropositivity rate of 71 per cent while Chattogram reported a lower seropositivity rate of 55 per cent.
The seropositivity was higher in females compared to males. Among the participants in the survey, only about 35 per cent were found to have some/ mild symptoms of COVID-19, said the press release issued by the icddr,b on Tuesday.
The survey found higher seroprevalence in individuals with fewer years of education, diabetes, overweight, and hypertension.
Lower seroprevalence was found in individuals who frequently washed hands, did not put fingers on the face or in the nose, have been vaccinated with BCG and carried out moderate physical activities.
Inadequate vitamin D status did not show any impact on seropositivity.There was a high rate of vitamin D insufficiency in the surveyed population.
The estimated SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence was higher in slums than in the adjacent low-to-middle-income non-slum areas.
The study was conducted in Dhaka and Chattogram cities between October 2020 and February 2021.