More than one in five New Yorkers (21.2%) have already been infected with the coronavirus, according to a study carried out on a sample of 3,000 people. This is the “most important” study to date carried out in this state of some 20 million inhabitants, the hardest hit by the epidemic, said Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo.
The aim was to detect the presence of antibodies indicative of a coronavirus infection. The people were chosen “at random”, at the exit of stores that have remained open, and are therefore people who, without being workers considered “essential”, go out despite the pandemic, said the governor.
According to preliminary results, on average some 13.6% of people tested in the state had antibodies indicative of infection, with large differences by region. Along with a 21.2% infection rate in New York City, the region with the highest rate was Long Island (16.7%).
During the confinement, many affluent New Yorkers took refuge in this region of great beaches. Some cities on Long Island are also home to large Hispanic communities, with many workers employed in supermarkets or delivery services remaining open during lockdown.
The study should give a more precise idea of the spread of the epidemic in New York State, which has already recorded more than 15,000 confirmed safe deaths and 263,000 positive cases for the coronavirus, according to its governor. It should also help determine which regions could begin a gradual deconfinement.
My job is to give New Yorkers the facts — whether they’re pretty or ugly.
I believe that when New Yorkers have the facts, they act prudently.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) April 23, 2020
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“We do not do the same in a place with a rate of 21% as in a place where you have 3.6% […] It’s the same theory according to which some states can reopen earlier than New York state, ”Governor Cuomo said. Most of the other, more rural areas had a very low infection rate of only about 3.6%.
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American states are divided in the face of deconfinement strategies. Some, like Georgia, in the south, are ready to authorize the resumption of a series of economic activities on Monday. In Florida, some beaches have reopened since Sunday. But others, like New York, whose containment is to remain in effect at least until May 15, call for caution to avoid a new outbreak of cases.
The United States has more than 843,000 cases of Covid-19. With nearly 47,000 deaths, they have the heaviest death toll in the world.
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