1-in-7 New Yorkers May Have Already Gotten Covid-19
Small studies in virus hot spots allow us to make better estimates about its reach, in the absence of widespread testing.
Stand clear of the virus, please.
Photographer: Christopher Occhicone/Bloomberg
Of the 215 women who delivered babies at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital and Columbia University Irving Medical Center in Upper Manhattan from March 22 through April 4, 214 were tested for the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. Thirty-three of them, or more than 15%, tested positive, even though only a few had symptoms. In Gangelt, a German town that makes a big deal out of Karneval (aka Mardi Gras) and had a major coronavirus outbreak after this February’s festivities, 500 residents were tested for evidence of either the virus or the antibodies that indicate one has recovered from it, and 15% of them tested positive as well.
Meanwhile, in Iceland, randomized testing of the population found 0.6% of those tested in late March and early April to have the disease. In San Miguel County in the mountains of Colorado (the ski town of Telluride is the county seat) widespread testing for coronavirus antibodies had as of Tuesday afternoon delivered a 0.6% positive ratio and an additional 1.5% of “borderline” results.