Gov. Cuomo: N.Y. to launch aggressive antibody testing
A doctor holds up an antibody test kit at a drive-thru testing site in Hempstead, N.Y., Tuesday, April 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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UPDATED 3:00 PM PT — Sunday, April 19, 2020
According to New York’s governor, the state is slated to begin the “most aggressive antibody testing in the country.” On Sunday, Andrew Cuomo announced the FDA has approved testing in the state and said the state Department of Health will help facilitate thousands of tests next week from a random sample of residents.
NEW: NYS will undertake the most aggressive statewide antibody testing survey in the nation in the next week.
It will tell us for the first time what percentage of the population has actually had #Coronavirus.
This will be the first true snapshot of what we’re dealing with.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) April 19, 2020
Antibody tests can confirm if a person may have had coronavirus, but was asymptomatic.
A woman’s blood is collected for testing of coronavirus antibodies at a drive through testing site in Hempstead, N.Y., Tuesday, April 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Cuomo recently reported the state is past the “high point,” as new data revealed the rate of infections has been dropping in the region.
“We control the beast. We apexed, we plateaued. It’s coming down the other side, that is good news. Okay, so we exhale, we can control the beast. Yes, but the beast is still alive. We did not kill the beast.”
– Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York
We have slowed the infection rate so that every 10 people infect about 9 people.
That means that the outbreak is slowing, not growing.
But it leaves very little room for error.
We need the bring the infection rate down even more in order to safely reopen the economy.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) April 19, 2020
Cuomo suggested the antibody testing will be a “true snapshot” of what New York is dealing with. The number of cases in the state has almost reached 130,000, with more than 8,800 deaths.
Meanwhile, the latest data from Johns Hopkins University showed there are more than 2.3 million confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide. As of Sunday, more than 164,000 people have died, while over 611,000 have recovered.
Lockdowns remain in place around the world as countries continue to try and flatten the curve. According to experts, three potential vaccines are going through human trials.
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