New York State surveyed more than 12,000 people between Friday, May 1, and Saturday, June 13, for antibodies, which found that 13.4 percent of those tested are now testing positive for COVID-19 antibodies, up 1.1 percent from the beginning of the tests.
In the Hudson Valley, 9 percent of those tested as of May 1 tested positive, which jumped slightly to 9.5 percent as of June 13.
“We’ve been doing more testing than anyone in the country," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, "and that includes two types of tests: diagnostic testing, which determines if you’re positive or negative (for the virus) today; and antibody tests, which let us know if you had the virus at any point."
“These numbers are telling and significant, though we’ve seen that the Hudson Valley is basically flat.”
According to state officials, they continue conducting an antibody testing survey to develop a baseline infection rate. The preliminary results of Phase 2 showed 14.9 percent of the population have COVID-19 antibodies.
The preliminary results of phase one of the state's antibody testing survey released in April showed 13.9 percent of the population had COVID-19 antibodies.
Cuomo noted that minority communities tested positive more frequently than others, with cases predominantly in lower-income areas of the state.
The percentage of those testing positive for antibodies increased 3.4 percent in African Americans, 2.1 percent in Asian Americans, and 5 percent in Hispanics between May 1 and June 13.
“You can see the increases by race,” Cuomo said. “The African American number is higher; the Latino numbers are higher, and that’s something we’ve been talking about.”
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