New York State Antibody Testing Survey Process Begins Today
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday an Antibody Testing Survey. Well, what does that mean? Can anyone get an antibody test?
The answer is no. Starting today 3,000 New Yorkers will be selected from a population of 19.5 million people to receive antibody tests. The Governor's office believes this large-scale testing will help determine what percentage of the population could be potentially immune to the virus.
The Governor's office gives a comparison using Germany's population. Officials said, "Germany performed a 3,000-person sample with a population of 83 million."
The testing survey is being implemented as a way of determining how quickly and at what rate New York State can get back to work. Over the weekend Governor Cuomo in partnership with other Governor's in the region announced a multi-state council on re-opening the economy. Representatives from each state will work together on a plan that is consistent. From New York, representatives include Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa, Director of the NYS Division of the Budget Robert Mujica and President and CEO of Northwell Health Michael Dowling.
Governor Cuomo says,
Any plan to start to reopen the economy has to be based on data and testing, and we have to make sure our antibody and diagnostic testing is up to the scale we need so we can safely get people back to work.
In addition to the announcement of testing and the council on opening the economy, Cuomo updated New Yorkers on the latest COVID-19 numbers. He confirmed 6,054 additional cases of the virus, bringing the statewide total to 242,786 confirmed cases. As of Sunday the death toll is over 17,000.