Hyderabad sero survey finds 54% of population has developed antibodies against COVID-19

The latest seroprevalence survey in Hyderabad shows that 54 percent of the city’s residents have developed antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, indicating prior exposure to the coronavirus, according to several media reports. According to The Indian Express, the survey also revealed that more than 75 percent of the seropositive population did not know they had contracted coronavirus infection in the past. The study was jointly conducted by CSIR’s Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), ICMR’s National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) and Bharat Biotech. It was aimed at estimating the seroprevalence of antibodies against the coronavirus in Hyderabad. India Today reported that over 9,000 samples were checked for antibodies against the virus in people from across 30 wards of the city. At least 300 people from each ward, all of them older than 10 years of age, were tested during the survey. Most of the wards showed a similarly uniform range of seroprevalence from 50 to 60 percent, while few wards showed as much as 70 percent or as low as 30 percent seroprevalence as well. The NewsMinute reported that the study revealed that women in Hyderabad have shown a marginally higher seropositivity rate of 56 percent than the men, who showed 53 percent. Those above the age of 70 showed a lower seropositivity rate of only 49 percent.  The lower seropositivity among elderly population could be due to their generally limited mobility and extra care taken by the family during the pandemic. Unsurprisingly, those who previously had COVID-19 positive cases in their homes showed the maximum seropositivity of 78 percent. This was followed by those with known COVID-19 contacts outside their household with 68 percent. “The study gave us a clear view of COVID-19 in Hyderabad. People, however, should continue to take precautions like using masks so that new variants of coronavirus do not gain a footing within the community,” Dr A Laxmaiah, Scientist ‘G’ at the NIN told Telangana Today. Meanwhile, Telangana recorded 152 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 2,99,406, while the toll rose to 1,637 with two more fatalities, the state government said on Thursday. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 25, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri and Rangareddy districts with 11 and 10 respectively, it said in a bulletin, providing details as of 8 pm on 3 March. The cumulative recovered cases stood at 2,95,821, while 1,948 were under treatment.