Preliminary Findings Of Randomised Covid-19 Anti-Body Test: 13% Of New York Residents Had Coronavirus, Death Rate 0.5%

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Thursday (Apr 23) announced the preliminary findings from the state's first antibody testing study that indicated that up to 13 percent of state residents may have been infected with the novel coronavirus.

Cuomo announced the results of the survey during his customary daily press briefing.

According to the results, about one in five people in New York City alone (over 1.7 million residents) have coronavirus antibodies, indicating that the individuals had either come down sick with coronavirus and had not realized it, or had asymptomatic carriers of the virus.

"What we found so far is the statewide number is 13.9 percent tested positive for having the antibodies," Cuomo said. "What does that mean? It means these are people who were infected and who developed the antibodies to fight the infection."

In New York City, Cuomo said, 21.2 percent tested positive for having the antibodies. The governor noted that those who were tested were "by definition" people who were outside of their homes.

Cuomo also added that if the state's infection rate is 13.9 percent, this "changes the theories of what the death rate is," as this would mean about 2.7 million people have been infected statewide, and so based on the current death toll, this would mean the death rate is about 0.5 percent.

Cuomo however added that this was a preliminary study data and that the death toll being used to get that number isn't entirely accurate because deaths at home need to be added.

As of Thursday (Apr 23), New York state has 260,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in New York State, with 147,000 in New York City.

The anti-body test was developed by the Wadsworth Center Lab, the public health laboratory of the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH).

The survey was conducted at pop-up clinics outside supermarkets across the state, with 3,000 participants.

The anti-body test is a microsphere immunoassay (MIA) which can detect IgG antibodies in blood. The blood collection was done using a dried-blood spot card. Dried-blood spot specimenswas collected by pricking the finger and collecting drops of blood onto a paper card. The cards were dried and then shipped to the WC for testing.

Antibodies develop when the immune system responds to a germ, usually a virus or a bacterium. With other diseases, IgG is one type of antibody that usually develops 3 to 4 weeks after infection with the germ and lasts for a long time. Once you have IgG antibodies, your immune system may recognize the germ and be able to fight it the next time when an individual is exposed to it.

The testing was done at random on shoppers at a handful of Price Choppers across the area. The results and data was later handed over to the health department.