Two thirds immune in New York testing
Findings raise hope that affected areas in London could protect themselves from a second wave
Almost seven in 10 people tested for Covid-19 antibodies in parts of New York had positive results, in what scientists described as a “stunning” outcome. It raised hopes that residents there could be protected from a second wave of the virus. The findings, shared by healthcare company Citymd with the New York Times, appeared to show a higher antibody rate than anywhere in the world, based on public data. The next is the Italian province of Bergamo, with 57 per cent.
AREAS of New York have recorded a nearly 70 per cent rate of immunity to Covid-19, in what scientists have described as “stunning” findings that suggest residents could be protected from a second wave.
Some 68 per cent of people who took antibody tests at a clinic in the Corona neighbourhood of Queens received positive results. While at another clinic in Jackson Heights 56 per cent tested positive.
The results, shared by healthcare company Citymd with the New York Times, appeared to show a higher antibody rate than anywhere in the world, based on publicly released data.
The next closest is the Italian province of Bergamo, with 57 per cent, followed by Alpine ski resort Ischgl, the site of Austria’s biggest coronavirus outbreak, which reported 47 per cent.
Emergency doctors in New York told The Daily Telegraph yesterday the rates confirmed what they had been seeing clinically in lower income areas of the city with high minority populations.
Dr Daniel Frogel, a senior-vice president for operations at Citymd, which plays a key role in New York City’s testing program, suggested some communities may have already achieved herd immunity.
The findings raise the prospect that similarly affected pockets of London could possibly reach herd immunity, which usually requires at least 70 per cent of people to possess antibodies.
As in New York, the severity of the outbreak in the UK has strong correlations to poverty and deprivation.
However, virologists said yesterday that the results may not be representative of the general population, as the testing was carried out at urgent care centres. They also warned not enough data exist to conclude anything on herd immunity. Little is also known about how rigorous the testing was or what was done to eliminate false positives.
In the largest and most meticulous antibody study worldwide to date, in Spain, just 5 per cent of the population tested positive. The survey, of 60,000 people, was carried out across the nation rather than in any single hotspot.
New York is among the hardest-hit cities in the world by Covid-19, recording 222,000 cases and nearly 23,000 deaths to date.
Less affluent areas of the boroughs of Queens and the Bronx, which have a high proportion of Hispanic and black residents, and lower-income “essential workers”, have been worst affected.
It has been reported 74 parishioners at one Catholic church in Queens have died from the coronavirus.
Wealthier areas recorded much
‘What about people with partial protection? They may not get sick but they can get infected and pass it on’
lower rates, according to Citymd. At a clinic in Cobble Hill, a mostly white and wealthy part of Brooklyn, only 13 per cent of people tested positive.
Citymd administered about 314,000 tests across New York City, as of June 26. In total, 26 per cent of the tests came back positive.
Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University, called the high positive rate in the Corona district “a stunning finding”. However, she said it would be a mistake to base public health decisions on antibody rates across a population.
The “magical number for herd immunity assumes that everyone infected has complete protection from a second infection. But what about people with partial protection?” she told the New York Times. “They may not get sick but they can get infected and pass it along.”