Indore, August 29: Of the total number of people tested in Indore under the sero survey earlier this month, 7.72 per cent were found to have developed antibodies to COVID-19, an official said. Indore is the worst-hit district in Madhya Pradesh in terms of the number of coronavirus positive cases and fatalities.

"Blood samples of 7,103 people aged above one year were taken under the survey that was carried out from August 11 to 23 with the help of the National Centre for Disease Control," Indore Divisional Commissioner Pawan Kumar Sharma said. COVID-19 Count Crosses 34 Lakh in India After Spike of 76,472 Cases in Past 24 Hours, Death Toll Tops 62,000.

Of these, 548 samples, which is 7.72 per cent, were found to be having antibodies to SARS-CoV2. Most importantly, the surveyed men and women had antibodies in equal proportion, he added. The survey revealed that efforts taken to stem the infection spread in the affected areas of the city have paid off, he added.

The official said that in the Bombay Bazaar area of the city, more than 30 per cent people were found having antibodies. Besides, people in the age group of 45 to 60 had maximum antibodies as per the survey, they added.

It is believed that the people found with antibodies had contracted the infection 15 days before their blood samples were collected. However, as they remained asymptomatic, the infection went undetected. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan released the sero survey report here on Friday.

Sero survey involves testing of blood serum of people to check for the prevalence of antibodies against coronavirus infection. According to the health officials, 12,229 people have tested positive in Indore district from March 24 to August 27. Coronavirus in India: Live Map.

Of them, 379 have succumbed to the infection, while 8,610 have recovered after treatment. The first cases of the virus came to light on March 24 here when four people tested positive here.