A quarter of New York City residents sampled for coronavirus antibodies tested positive, suggesting that many in the state contracted the virus and fully recovered without being diagnosed.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the results from a test of 7,500 New Yorkers that found 14.9% of those tested had the antibodies. The positive responses varied throughout the state. New York City had the highest rate, with 24.7% testing positive, while some rural areas showed a positive rate of around 3.2%.
The study did not take a random sample of residents.
The antibody test helps researchers understand how many people may have been infected and recovered without showing symptoms. This information allows them to predict the future of the virus because those who have the antibodies may be immune to contracting the virus again. The information will help cities and states decide how and when to reopen.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, has noted there are no guarantees that individuals will have lifelong immunity if they present coronavirus antibodies, but it is likely that they will have short-term immunity.
This was the second time the state conducted antibody testing. The latest test showed a full percentage point jump compared to when the test was conducted last week, which was within the margin of error of the datasets. The data show that as many as 2.7 million New Yorkers could have had the virus without knowing it.
As of Monday, New York had more than 288,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 22,269 related deaths.
