HYDERABAD: In a recent study it was found that at least six lakh people in Hyderabad have been infected by the novel coronavirus with a large number of them asymptomatic and need no hospitalisation.

The study conducted by CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology said that individuals infected by SARS-CoV-2 shed virus not only through nasal and oral routes but also through faeces.

In a joint effort, CCMB and IICT harvested the sewage samples of different sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the city to estimate the number of potentially infected individuals. According to the study, 80 per cent of the STPs revealed nearly two lakh people are shedding viral materials and only 40 per cent of the sewage reach STPs which may indicate that about six lakh people in the city carried or are carrying the virus.

This meant nearly 2 lakh people are shedding viral materials.

"Since only 40 per cent of the sewage reach STPs, this data can be used to extrapolate the overall number of potentially infected people, which turned out to be approximately six lakh, that is, around six per cent of the population, which includes symptomatic, asymptomatic, and also recently recovered individuals in a time window of about 35 days," the CCMB said, as reported by a news agency.

The findings are yet to be peer reviewed.

Director, CCMB, Rakesh Mishra told that if such studies are carried out in coordination with civic bodies, it would help identify the hotspots and take necessary measures.

Telangana reported 1,763 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, August 19 taking the cumulative number of positive cases to 95,700. The state government bulletin said that eight people have succumbed to the disease in the 24 hours, as toll rose to 719.