As confirmed COVID-19 cases in LA County jump way past 40,000 and deaths approach the 2,000 mark new data from an antibody indicates the spread is slowing.
Researchers at USC and the county's public health department have now done two rounds of testing among randomly selected adult residents.
Preliminary data from the latest one indicates just over 2 percent had had the virus. The first round put the figure closer to 5 percent.
A number of factors, including variations in sample composition, may account for the difference.
And the data indicates there was "not much spread of the virus" over the past month or so.
Barbara Ferrer, the county's public health director, credits the shutdown and other measures to prevent the spread.
"Like the last survey men were more likely than women to be infected," Ferrer said.
Ferrer says the data shows only "slight" differences based on race and ethnicity.
"However, there were differences in positivity rates by income levels. For 2.8 percent of people with lower income levels and 1 percent of people with higher income levels, who were tested, were positive," she said.
She says people 18 to 54 were more likely to test positive for antibodies than people 55 and older.
Prelim data on second round of testing in LA County #COVID19 antibody study shows 2.1% of 1,014 adults tested had antibodies. Lower % than first round. Officials note several factors could be at play, including differences in how the two rounds of testing were done. @KNX1070
— Claudia Peschiutta (@ReporterClaudia)
May 20, 2020 — Claudia Peschiutta (@ReporterClaudia)
May 20, 2020
