VIJAYAWADA: Nearly 20 per cent people in Andhra Pradesh contracted the coronavirus. As per the serosurveillance results released by the state government on Thursday, 19.7% of people in the state developed antibodies to fight Covid-19.
More females (19.9%) than males (19.5%) developed antibodies, and the prevalence of antibodies among the urban population (22.5%) is greater than in rural areas (18.2%). Similarly, 20.5% of people in containment zones developed antibodies, compared to 19.3% in non-containment zones. The prevalence of antibodies in the ‘high-risk’ population stood at 20.3%.
Vizianagaram district has the highest prevalence of antibodies, with 30.6% of the population contracting Covid-19 and recovering without showing any symptoms, while in Nellore, just 8.2% were exposed to the virus, the lowest among districts.
This was revealed in the two phases of serosurveillance conducted in all 13 districts of the state. The first phase was conducted in Krishna, East Godavari, Nellore and Anantapur districts between August 5 and 15, while the second phase was conducted in the remaining nine districts between August 26 and 31. While 3,500 samples were taken for serosurveillance from each district in the first phase, the number was increased to 5,000 in the second phase.
Kurnool district, which has 28.1 percent prevalence rate, has the highest rate of exposure to the virus among the male population (30.6%) while the highest exposure rate among female was observed in Vizianagaram district with 31.7 percent developing anti-bodies to the virus.
With respect to exposure to the virus in urban areas, 34.7 percent urban population in Vizianagaram was exposed to the virus. Only 13.8 percent of the urban population in Nellore developed anti-bodies for the infection.
When it come to the prevalence rate in rural areas, 29.0 percent population among the rural population of Vizianagaram was exposed to infection while it was just 5.7 percent in Nellore. The prevalence rate in containment zones was high in Kurnool (31.5 percent) while Vizianagaram recorded highest prevalence rate of 30.1 percent in non-containment zones.
Prevalence rate among high risk population was found to be high in Vizianagaram (41.3) while the same was low in Prakasam district (10 percent). Incidentally, the prevalence of anti-bodies is high among the high risk population (20.3 percent) when compared to the overall prevalence rate of 19.7 percent. Antibodies were present in an average of 20.3 per cent of samples collected under the ‘high-risk population’.
Surprisingly, there wasn’t much difference in the percentages of contaminated (20.5 %) and non contaminated zones (19.3%). The prevalence of anti-bodies among asymptomatic in positive tested patients is 100 percent in Chittoor while the same stands at 92.8 percent in East Godavari district.
The survey considered various parameters such as overall sero-prevalence and prevalence of antibodies, containment-non containment zones, male-female, urban-rural, symptomatic-asymptomatic and prevalence in high risk population. Samples were collected from those who have not undergone test for coronavirus earlier.
Elaborating about the serosurveillance findings, commissioner, health and family welfare Katamneni Bhaskar said, “The logic behind this survey is that how much ever percentage of population shows antibodies that much percentage of population’s immunity is good. So more people with prevalence of antibodies means less number of Covid19 cases in the coming future. Considering the figures of the second phase, we can interpret that fewer cases will be reported in Kurnool and we should be ready for a rise in the number of cases in West Godavari district in the next stage. The purpose of conducting this survey is to make necessary arrangements for fighting the virus.”
‘Expect more cases in West Godavari dist’
“We can interpret that fewer cases will be reported in Kurnool and we should be ready for a rise in the number of cases in West Godavari district,” said commissioner, health and family welfare Katamneni Bhaskar
What is sero-surveillance?
Serosurveillance estimates the presence of antibodies against an infectious disease and measures a population’s immunity to it
