Krishna District Collector Md Imtiaz on Sunday said that COVID-19 cases are steadily declining in the district, and that precautionary measures taken by people have helped in checking the spread of the disease.
As per the sero-surveillance study performed in the state, he said that nearly 20% of the people in Krishna district have been exposed to the coronavirus and have even recovered, without realising it. He said that these were mainly asymptomatic cases of infection. In Vijayawada, the number of persons exposed to the virus was found to be 40%, he said.
Sero-surveillance is a standard method used for disease surveillance, where the levels of antibodies against a certain infection are measured. The study finds the percentage of the population which has been exposed to the virus in the past, and is a standard for measuring population immunity due to a past infection.
The study was performed by collecting samples from 3,750 persons who did not display any symptoms of COVID-19 from various parts of the district, including rural, urban, containment and non-containment zones.
In the month of May, tests were performed in Krishnalanka, Kothapet, Jakkampudi and other areas of Vijayawada, and the study showed that 40% of the people had contracted and recovered from the disease without their knowledge. These people had developed coronavirus antibodies, the Collector said.
Stating that the district has conducted 3,00,973 COVID-19 tests so far, he urged people to get tested for the coronavirus. He also advised people to monitor their blood oxygen levels even when symptoms are absent.
From being among the three worst-affected districts in the state, Krishna district has recorded the lowest number of active cases as of Sunday. Thanking people for cooperating in bringing down infections, he appealed that people must continue following precautionary measures like physical distancing and the use of masks and sanitisers.