New York – One in four New York City residents may have been infected with the new coronavirus, according to a study being conducted by authorities and in which thousands of people have already been tested for antibodies.
The study, for which initial data was released last week after conducting 3,000 tests across New York State, has been updated with the results of a total of 7,500 people.
In the Big Apple, the great epicenter of the pandemic in the United States, the number of positives now rises to 24.7% – compared to the initial 21.2% -, so it is estimated that more than two million people may have already suffered the disease in the city.
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In the state as a whole, the percentage of positives stands at 14.9%, as a result of the great differences between the southern area -where New York City, its suburbs and other densely populated areas such as Long Island are located- and the rest of the territory, where only 3.2% of those tested had COVID-19 antibodies.
The data also confirm that the Latino community has been affected in a very disproportionate way, since 32% of the people studied have suffered from the disease, compared to 16.9% among African-Americans, 14.6% among Asians and 8.9%. among the whites.
Minorities are especially concentrated in the New York City area, the hardest hit, while the rest of the state, more rural, is mainly white.
State Governor Andrew Cuomo said at a press conference that research shows that the virus is widespread in the Big Apple and that its mortality is lower than previously thought.
As he underlined, the Government is carrying out these tests to find out the reality of the disease situation, but it is not going to use them to give anyone any kind of certificate to return to normal life, since it is not even clear that who the virus has become immune, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Deaths decrease
Meanwhile, the number of deaths from COVID-19 continues to fall in the state of New York, with 337 deaths in the last day, the lowest number since April 31 and far from the nearly 800 that were reached. register in the second week of April.
Meanwhile, the number of hospitalizations also continues to drop, although there are still around a thousand new daily admissions.
In this context, Cuomo confirmed that the reopening of economic activity will probably start from May 15, when the rules currently in force expire, and that it will be carried out in phases, starting with the least affected geographical areas and sectors such as construction and manufacturing industry.
