Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC) has expressed hope that the results of the COVID-19 seroprevalence study launched in the Greater Male’ Region can be publicised this month.
Speaking at a press conference, Spokesperson of HEOC Dr. Fathimath Nazla Rafeeq said sample collection for the antibody testing conducted under the seroprevalence study has been completed. Dr. Nazla said HEOC is working on publicising the results of the study later this month.
Noting samples collected for the study would only be used for research purposes, Dr. Nazla said individuals who provided samples for the study will not be required to undergo any other test or take any other action following the study.
The seroprevalence study is conducted jointly by Health Protection Agency (HPA) and Maldives National University (MNU). The study aims to identify the percentage of people in the community who have had past exposure to the virus and recovered. As such, the study aims to determine how much the community has been exposed to the virus, and identify the level of immunity among individuals.
During the first round of the study, blood samples were obtained from children under the age of 18. During the second round, blood samples were collected from selected individuals who were notified via text message. Samples were collected from four locations across Male’, Hulhumale’ and Villimale’.