Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said Thursday the state’s COVID-19 antibody survey shows that nearly 17 in 100 Long Islanders may have been infected with the novel coronavirus. The survey randomly tested 3,000 people at stores across the state.
This means official counts of COVID-19 confirmed cases could vastly under-represent the prevalence of the virus here and around the state. As of Thursday, the state reported 263,460 confirmed cases. According to the results of the survey, as may as 2.7 million New Yorkers may have actually been exposed to the virus.
On Shelter Island, Suffolk County reports just seven cases, for an infection rate of 2.51 per 1,000. If the Long Island rate from the survey were to apply, you could expect to find as many as 474 people here carry the antibodies.
Statewide, 13.9 percent of those tested were positive for antibodies to the virus. The figure for Long Island was second only to New York City, Cuomo said, which had a 21.29 percent infection rate.
The study was conducted over two days at 40 random locations — supermarkets and other stores — in 19 counties around the state, he said.
Should the survey’s estimates hold up under further scrutiny, it would also mean the virus has a much lower fatality rate than reported — about 0.5 percent, he said.