Nearly 20% Andhra residents have developed antibodies to Covid: Sero survey

The survey also revealed that a high percentage of people who had contracted the coronavirus were asymptomatic

The result of a serosurvey in Andhra Pradesh has shown that 19.7 per cent of people have developed antibodies to COVID-19. It also revealed that a high percentage of people who had contracted the coronavirus were asymptomatic, said the State government.

A month after the efforts to conduct the sero surveillance began in Andhra Pradesh as instructed by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the result of the survey across all the 13 districts are out.

With nine more districts being surveyed, the overall districts' results revealed 19.7 per cent had antibodies to the virus.

"Little less than 20 per cent of the population in nine districts have developed antibodies and they are immune. The rise of infection is low but there is a chance that cases will continue to come for some time," said Katamneni Bhaskar, Andhra Pradesh Health Commissioner.

The government started the serosurvey in all the districts to determine the extent of the infection among people. While the first phase of the survey in four districts, i.e., Anantapur, East Godavari, Krishna, and Nellore, revealed that Krishna district had seen the highest seroprevalence in the first phase.

It also revealed that a high percentage of people who had contracted the coronavirus were asymptomatic. While 3,500 persons were tested in the first phase from each of the four districts. In the second phase, the number went up to 5,000 persons per district.

With 60,000 samples being taken for over nine districts that is being surveyed in Phase 2, the results revealed that the highest prevalence was seen at Vizianagaram district which stands at 30.6 per cent while the other districts are comparatively lower in the percentage.

In Chittoor, the figure stood at 20.8 per cent. According to the survey, West Godavari reported only 12.3 per cent, which is the least percentage when compared to the other eight districts. Based on the overall survey, around 22.5 per cent of the people living around the urban areas have been exposed to the virus when compared to the rural areas (18.2 per cent).

Speaking further on the survey, AP Medical & Health Commissioner Katamneni Bhaskar stated that sero-prevalence gives us an indication of reallocation of the resources in terms of ramping up the infrastructure of testing, tracing, and treatment in areas with low seroprevalence vis-a-vis with the areas with high seroprevalence.