Random sampling shows tens of thousands of missed coronavirus cases in Miami-Dade County


 Quote:
by Andrew Mark Miller, April 24, 2020
Washington Examiner


A random sampling study shows that at least 6% of the population in Miami, Florida, have coronavirus antibodies, indicating past infection.
165,000 residents of Miami-Dade County tested positive for coronavirus antibodies, suggesting the rate of people infected could be more than 16 times higher than previously thought, according to a study released by University of Miami researchers on Friday.

The study, set into motion by local officials, will be an ongoing weekly survey randomly selecting residents who volunteer to submit pinpricks of blood to show whether they were positive in the past. Friday’s results were based off two weeks of countywide testing of about 1,400 participants, and researchers found that about half of those who tested positive did not report symptoms in the previous 14-17 days, according to the Miami Herald.

"What we're finding out is something we've frankly known all along. There are a lot of asymptomatic cases out there where people are carrying the virus but are not experiencing any symptoms," Miami Mayor Carlos Gimenez said in a press conference.

Antibody studies across the globe are reporting similar findings.

A high school in France this week determined that 25% of students and staff possessed coronavirus antibodies requiring nine hospitalizations but zero deaths.

A random sampling test conducted by Stanford researchers in Santa Clara County, California, concluded that the coronavirus is 50-85 times more prevalent than previously thought, and the fatality rate is 50-85 times lower.
Nearly one-third of a group of 200 people tested in Massachusetts were positive for virus antibodies.