Study suggests 14% of New Yorkers have had COVID-19

A preliminary antibody study suggests nearly 14% of New Yorkers have contracted the novel coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Thursday.

The statewide study that included 3,000 people tested at grocery and other stores over two days, found 13.9% having coronavirus antibodies, meaning they contracted the virus and developed antibodies to fight the infection.

The sites were chosen to collect samples from "people who were out and about shopping; they were not people who were in their home; they were not people who were isolated; they were not people who were quarantined," the governor said during his daily news conference, noting those groups would have likely had a lower infection rate.

The tests were administered in different New York regions, with New York City showing a staggering one-in-five, or 21.2%, of those tested having antibodies. Neighboring Long Island was not far behind at 16.7%.

Cuomo emphasized the findings are preliminary and said the state would continue to collect samples from individuals to more fully round out the picture in New York.

Dr. Anthony Facui, the nation's leading infectious disease expert and member of US President Donald Trump's coronavirus task forces, cautioned earlier this week that health officials have yet to determine whether if someone who has antibodies would be protected against re-infection, or how long protection might last if it does exist.

Still, if 13.9% of the state's population of more than 19 million were infected, the number of cases would be far higher than current estimates suggest.

Data being compiled by Johns Hopkins University indicates 263,754 have tested positive for the virus. But if the actual figure of infections is anywhere near 14% of those who tested positive for antibodies it would mean the real number of infections in New York state hovers around 2.7 million.

Paradoxically, that would also mean the death rate is significantly lower than current estimates.