The second round of sero-surveillance by the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) in Jangaon, Nalgonda and Kamareddy on 26 and 27 August showed that the coronavirus epidemic was steadily spreading in the three districts.

NIN researchers obtained blood samples from 1,309 individuals from the three districts, 12.2 percent of whom had developed COVID-19 antibodies. The NIN researchers reported that because of the precautionary steps taken by the general public and state health authorities, the progress of the infection was slow.

The sero-surveillance study said that, "However, in these three districts in Telangana, only 12.2% of the local population has developed COVID-19 antibodies, while the rest of the population, i.e. 88%, remains susceptible. High numbers of individuals are still vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection, so it is possible to continue all necessary personal security measures such as wearing a mask, personal hygiene, and social distance."

The sero-prevalence analysis found that out of 454 individuals tested in Jangaon, 83 individuals tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, which is 18.2%, compared to 0.5% in the first round conducted in May.

In Nalgonda, 47 out of 422 people tested positive for antibodies, which is 11.1 percent, compared to 0.25 percent during the first round in May. Similarly, out of 433 people in Kamareddy, 30 were positive, which is 11 percent, compared to 0.25 percent in the first round.

The survey, based on ICMR guidelines, covered 10 villages in each district. The health officials randomly picked 16 households in each village for the study. All participants were over 10 years of age and the overall study included 30 villages in the three districts and 1,309 individuals.

The survey was performed by NIN scientists, including Dr. Avula Laxmaiah, Dr. B Dinesh Kumar, Dr. N Arlappa, Dr. JJ Babu and other health officials. In Telangana, a total of 194K people have been affected with deadly coronavirus and 163K people have been recovered while the death toll rose to 1,135.