How many Americans have had COVID? New CDC study suggests most have contracted it
Most people living in the U.S. have COVID-19 antibodies — meaning they’ve contracted the virus at least once before, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis suggests.
The agency estimates COVID-19 has infected three in five Americans as of February based on seroprevalence data, or “the proportion of the population with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies,” according to the CDC’s analysis published Tuesday, April 26. Before December 2021, the CDC said one in three Americans were known to have had COVID-19.
“These findings illustrate a high infection rate for the Omicron variant, especially among children,” the CDC said.
Roughly 75% of children and teens ages 0-17 have gotten COVID-19 at some point as of February based on detected antibodies, according to the analysis.
This compares with about 64% of adults ages 18-49, about 50% of adults ages 50-64 and 33% of adults 65 and older having had the virus before, the CDC noted in the study.
It’s important to understand that the findings “cannot be interpreted as protection from future infection,” lead study author Kristie Clarke told McClatchy News in a statement.
COVID-19 reinfections are possible, and cases of reinfections occurring within a month after an initial infection have been recorded, McClatchy News previously reported.
“Protection from antibodies in response to infection or in response to vaccination wanes over time, and reinfections occur especially in the context of a new variant,” Clarke said. “Staying up to date on vaccination remains the safest strategy for preventing complications from COVID-19, even among people with a history of infection.”
About the study
The CDC said its findings came from a “repeated, cross-sectional, national survey that estimates the proportion of the population in 50 U.S. states,” as well as in Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, “that has infection-induced antibodies.”
From September 2021 through February, convenience samples of blood were regularly submitted and analyzed for COVID-19 antibodies, according to the CDC. Then, population estimates were made using 2018 American Community Survey data.
Seroprevalence can “improve” the understanding of how many Americans have gotten COVID-19 because “traditional methods of disease surveillance do not capture all COVID-19 cases because some are asymptomatic, not diagnosed, or not reported,” the CDC said in the study.
Clarke said that this is why seroprevalence is “important to understanding the whole picture of the pandemic.”
“The large proportions infected illustrate the huge impact that this pandemic has had on our communities,” Clarke said.
Study limitations include how “convenience sampling might limit generalizability” and how race and ethnicity data was lacking, according to the CDC.
In the U.S., the omicron variant and its subvariants continue to dominate the majority of coronavirus cases as of the week ending April 23, CDC data estimates show. Just 0.2% of infections were attributed as “other.”
Virus cases increased by 22.7% as of April 25 compared to the prior week, according to the CDC.
Meanwhile, roughly 98% of the U.S. lives in a location with a low or medium COVID-19 Community Level spread of the virus, the agency says as of April 26. About 1% of Americans live in an area with a high COVID-19 Community Level. For them, it’s recommended to wear a mask while indoors in public.
This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 5:17 PM with the headline "How many Americans have had COVID? New CDC study suggests most have contracted it."
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