Estimating Population SARS-CoV-2 Infection Rates Across the U.S.

Knowing what percentage of the population has been infected with SARS-CoV-2 is important during the pandemic, yet relying on only reported cases likely underestimates the true prevalence of infection. Using residual blood samples from two commercial laboratories, investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied the prevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in 10 geographic regions of the U.S. with known community transmission to estimate the seroprevalence between March 23 and May 12, 2020.

Of 16,025 sera samples tested, 55.2% were from women and 36.5% from individuals 65 years and older. Seroprevalence ranged from 1% in the San Francisco Bay area in late April to 6.9% in New York City metro area in late March. Seroprev…