Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Los Angeles, Antibody Testing Suggests Coronavirus Cases Could Be 40 Times Higher Than Official Count
Some 4.1% of adults tested positive for coronavirus antibodies in a study of Los Angeles County residents, health officials said on Monday, suggesting the rate of infection may be 40 times higher than the number of confirmed cases. The serology tests, conducted by University of Southern California researchers on 863 people indicate the death rate from the pandemic could be lower than previously thought but also that the respiratory illness may be being spread more widely by people who show no symptoms. (Whitcomb, 4/20)
That translates to roughly 221,000 to 442,000 adults who have recovered from an infection, once margin of error is taken into account, according to the researchers conducting the study. The county had reported fewer than 8,000 cases at that time. The findings suggest the fatality rate may be much lower than previously thought. But although the virus may be more widespread, the infection rate still falls far short of herd immunity that, absent a vaccine, would be key to return to normal life. (Mason, 4/20)
Researchers at the University of Southern California, who joined with the health department, then estimated that 2.8% to 5.6% of L.A. County’s adult population has been infected at some point. “It does, for me, reinforce the need for everyone to continue to stay at home,” Dr. Ferrer said. “Because there are many, many people who are positive throughout the county who may not be showing symptoms.” (Abbott and Caldwell, 4/20)
Sood cautioned that while the antibody testing had likely uncovered hidden cases of the coronavirus, "these tests are not good for telling if someone has immunity." Questions remain about whether antibodies for COVID-19 in people who've survived the illness provide immunity. There were 7,994 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported to the county by the time of the study in early April. (Hartung, Mendelsohn, Fuhrman and Francis, 4/20)
New York has begun "the most aggressive" statewide antibody testing to help determine how much of the population has been infected by and recovered from the coronavirus — a step health officials say is essential for reopening the economy. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that state Department of Health officials plan to randomly select 3,000 people for tests that will look for indications that their bodies have fought off the virus, even if they were never tested or showed any symptoms. (Romo, 4/20)
