Well over half the U.S. population has been infected with the coronavirus at some point, according to a nationwide study of blood samples, the latest evidence of COVID-19’s far-reaching impact.
As of February, 57.7% of Americans had antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in their blood, health officials said, up from 33.5% in December, when the omicron wave began sweeping across the country. While the antibodies aren’t necessarily protective, they indicate a previous infection.
With increased access to at-home testing and many people experiencing mild or asymptomatic cases, official COVID-19 case counts have become increasingly unreliable. The blood survey is the best evidence available of the disease’s reach: It suggests that since the omicron wave began late last year, almost a quarter of the country was newly infected with the virus.
