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The survey developed a baseline infection rate by testing 15,000 people at grocery stores and community centers across the state over the past two weeks.
Of those tested, 12.3 percent were positive: 11.5 percent of women tested positive and 13.1 percent of men tested positive.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo shared the data in a power-point presentation during an appearance at the MTA New York City Transit Corona Maintenance Facility on 126th Street in Flushing, Queens on Saturday, May 2. (See images above.)
"While we're in uncharted waters it doesn't mean we proceed blindly, " Cuomo said, "and the results of the 15,000 people tested in our antibody survey program - the largest survey in the nation - will inform our strategy moving forward,.
"We're also going to undertake a full survey of antibody testing for transit workers, who have been on the front lines of this crisis.
"We've said thank you to our essential workers thousands of times but actions speak louder than words, and we want them to know that we're doing everything we can do to keep them safe."
Cuomo also announced that the state will distribute more than seven million more cloth masks to vulnerable New Yorkers and essential workers across the state. The masks will be distributed as follows:
- 500,000 for NYCHA residents
- 500,000 for farm workers
- 1 million for vulnerable populations, including the mental health and developmental disabled communities
- 500,000 for homeless shelters
- 2 million for elderly New Yorkers and nursing homes
- 1 million for faith-based organizations and food banks
- 2 million for grocery stores, supermarkets and food delivery workers
The state is also distributing $25 million to food banks across the state through the Nourish New York Initiative.
The initiative, announced earlier this week by Cuomo, is working to quickly reroute New York's surplus agricultural products to the populations who need them most through New York's network of food banks.
Funding will be distributed as follows:
- New York City region: $11 million
- Westchester region: $1 million
- Long Island region: $1.6 million
- Capital/Hudson Valley region (includes portion of North Country and Mohawk Valley): $4.4 million
- Central NY region (includes portion of North Country and Mohawk Valley): $2.2 million
- Southern Tier region: $1.1 million
- Western New York region: $2.1 million
- Finger Lakes region (includes portion of Southern Tier): $1.7 million
A total of 4,663 additional COVID-19 cases have brought the statewide total to 312,977. (For a breakdown by region of where the new cases are coming from, see the sixth image above.)
"We're still getting about 900 new infections every day walking into the hospital," Cuomo said. "That is still an unacceptably high rate. We're trying to understand exactly why that is, who are those 900?
"Where is it coming from? What can we do to now refine our strategies to find out where those new cases are being generated, and then get to those areas, get to those places, get to those people to try to target our attack.
"If you remember we had the first cluster in the nation. The first hot spot even before they called them hot spots was New Rochelle, Westchester. There was a tremendous outbreak in New Rochelle. We then sent all sorts of resources into New Rochelle and we actually reduced that hot spot.
"So if you find a specific place or pattern that is generating infections then you can attack it but you have to find it first, and that's what we're looking at, especially on this number of new infections that are coming."
There were 299 new COVID deaths, up by 10 from a day earlier. (See final image above.)
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