ALBANY, NY, April 25 (WNM) - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo reported preliminary results from a serological study conducted in New York state. The preliminary study results found that nearly 14% of New York residents may have been previously infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Governor Cuomo said (https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/video-audio-photos-rush-transcript-amid-ongoing-covid-19-pandemic-governor-cuomo-announces-12):

"What we found so far is the statewide number is 13.9 percent tested positive for having the antibodies. What does that mean? It means these are people who were infected and developed the anti-bodies to fight the infection. So they were infected 3 weeks ago, 4 weeks ago, 5 weeks ago, 6 weeks ago, but they had the virus, they developed the antibodies and they are now quote, unquote recovered, 13.9 percent, just about 14 percent.

If the infection rate is 13.9 percent, then it changes the theories of what the death rate is if you get infected. 13 percent of the population is about 2.7 million people who have been infected. If you look at what we have now as a death total, which is 15,500, that would be about .5 percent death rate. But, two big caveats. First, it's preliminary data, it's only 3,000. Well, 3,000 is a significant data set, but, it's still preliminary."

The study tested 3,000 individuals across 19 counties statewide. A fact sheet (https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2020/04/updated-13102-nysdoh-wadsworth-centers-assay-for-sars-cov-2-igg.pdf) about the test linked in the press briefing describes it as having a specificity of 93-100%; however, additional details about the test are not provided. These results are weighted heavily by the New York City area, with much lower estimates for the rest of the state.

Like many other serological studies currently being implemented, additional information on the test is necessary to fully analyze the serological test data and characterize the scope of transmission in a given community.