Testing Suggests 21 Percent of NYC Residents Contracted Coronavirus

April 23, 2020 Kevin Deutsch Bronx, COVID-19 Testing, Health 0

The first major effort to test New Yorkers for COVID-19 antibodies showed roughly 21 percent of city residents were likely infected with coronavirus before recovering, Gov. Andrew Cuomo revealed Thursday.

The testing program, part of a multi-phase effort by the state to assess how many New Yorkers have contracted the disease, randomly surveyed 3,000 residents at stores across 19 counties and 40 locations.

The state found about 14 percent of New York State residents, or about 2.7 million people, likely possess coronavirus antibodies, with the five boroughs showing the highest percentage of infections and recoveries, Cuomo said.

The preliminary results also showed a fatality rate far lower than initial estimates, at 0.5%.

The testing program’s results will be used to help determine when New Yorkers can return to certain workplaces or donate plasma, among other decisions, Cuomo said.

About Kevin Deutsch 265 Articles

Kevin Deutsch is a Staff Writer for Bronx Justice News covering the criminal justice system, drugs, and DNA use by law enforcement. An award-winning journalist, Deutsch is the author of the true crime books "Pill City" and "The Triangle." He has worked on staff at the Daily News, Miami Herald, Newsday, The Palm Beach Post, and The Riverdale Press. His work has also appeared in Newsweek, Columbia Journalism Review, The New York Times, The Village Voice, The Forward, The Independent, Huffington Post, Orlando Sentinel, and the New York Post, among other publications. His numerous television appearances include spots on CNN, MSNBC, and C-SPAN's BookTV. He has also been featured in The New Yorker. A Bronx resident, Deutsch hosts the true crime podcast "A Dark Turn" on the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network.