Measurement of radon concentration in soil gas and radon exhalation rate from soil samples along and across the Main Central Thrust of Garhwal Himalaya, India.

The present study focuses on measuring radon concentrations in soil gas at various depths, radon exhalation rate (surface and mass) from soil samples, and gamma dose rate along and across the Main Central Thrust of Garhwal Himalaya, India. Radon concentration in soil gas, surface, and mass exhalation rates was measured using a portable SMART radon monitor (RnDuo). Furthermore, the gamma dose rate was measured using a pocket radiation monitor. The soil gas radon concentration varied from 15 ± 4 to 579 ± 82 Bq m-3 at a depth of 25 cm, 10 ± 2 to 533 ± 75 Bq m-3 at a depth of 30 cm, and 9 ± 1 to 680 ± 95 Bq m-3 at a depth of 35 cm. The surface and mass exhalation rates were found 3 ± 0.7 to 98 ± 3 Bq m-2 h-1 (with AM ± SD = 36 ± 28 Bq m-2 h-1) and 1 ± 0.2 to 95 ± 2 mBq kg-1 h-1 (with AM ± SD = 30 ± 22 mBq kg-1 h-1), respectively. The gamma dose rate for the present study area varies from 0.11 ± 0.05 to 0.28 ± 0.05 µSv h-1 with a mean value of 0.17 ± 0.05 µSv h-1. The correlation analysis between the exhalation rates (mass and surface) and radon concentration of soil gas at various depths was carried out in the current study.

Seroprevalence of Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2 Among Health Care Workers at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Uttarakhand: A Retrospective Study.

Background The number of confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections is vastly underestimated. In this context, seroprevalence surveys are of utmost importance to assess the proportion of the population that has already developed antibodies against the virus and might potentially be protected against subsequent infection. Health care workers (HCWs) face a greater risk of developing SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, the present retrospective study was undertaken to estimate the prevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 among healthcare workers at a tertiary care institute in Uttarakhand, India. Material and methods Data were gathered from hospital records of 704 healthcare workers admitted to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) unit and attended the COVID OPD of the tertiary care institute between July 15 to Aug 14, 2020. Result Out of the 704 recruited participants, 14 (1.99%) were seropositive for immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. The cumulative prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection (presence of antibodies or past or current positive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)) was 4.40%. Conclusion The present study shows a low prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies among health care workers. In addition, posting in COVID-19-positive areas was not associated with increased seropositivity. More studies are warranted to assess IgG/IgM antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 among those HCWs who are exposed to COVID-19 patients.