New Delhi, September 3: The second sero survey to determine an estimated spread of COVID-19 in India has begun, a top health official said on Thursday. The seroprevalence studies would be conducted in a total of 70 districts of India, spread across 21 states. The results are expected to be released by mid-September.

"The second sero survey has started in the whole country (70 districts). We should get the results in the next two weeks," said Dr Balram Bhargava, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Tamil Nadu, UP, Karnataka, Andhra and Maharashtra Account for 62% of Total Active COVID-19 Cases.

The first round of sero surveys had concluded last month, showing maximum spread of the virus among residents of Mumbai, the financial capital of India. The survey found that 57 percent of the city's slum residents developed antibodies against COVID-19, along with 16 percent of those residing in residential colonies.

In Delhi, the sero survey results estimated 23 percent of the population to have contracted the infection and recovered. Around one-fifth of China's total populace was also found to have developed the IgG antibodies.

In Ahmedabad, the most populated city of Gujarat province, 23 percent of those surveyed as part of the seroprevalence study last month had developed antibodies against COVID-19.

The growing number of persons with antibodies against COVID-19 coincides with a fall in the pace of infection. Even as the per-day count of cases are increasing - crossing 83,000 today - the infection rate has declined to below 8.5 percent. The case fatality rate has also slipped to 1.8 percent.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 03, 2020 04:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).