PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - About 2% of Rhode Island residents have been infected with coronavirus, with infection rates apparently higher among the state’s minority populations, according to a state Department of Health study.
The numbers aligned with prior department data that found that people of color in the state have been disproportionately affected by the disease, Dr. Philip Chan, an infectious disease consultant at the department said during a remote news conference Friday.
The state provided blood tests to 1,032 volunteers to see if they had signs of a past infection.
Overall, 2.2% had antibodies, which the body produces to fight an infection. The rates appeared higher in blacks and Latinos/Hispanics, but the numbers of people tested in those groups was small.
The numbers were unexpectedly low, but Chan credited that to the state’s “robust response” to the pandemic.
The state randomly selected 5,000 households to get the test at one of several Stop & Shop supermarket locations. More than one person from some households received a test, conducted last month.
The numbers can be used by the state to better direct resources to where they are needed most, Chan said.
The department continues to analyze the data, he said.
Serological surveys have been done in a number of states, with widely ranging findings. A survey in New York City - the epicenter of U.S. epidemic - found nearly 25% of those who participated had antibodies to the coronavirus. Some surveys in parts of California were in the range of 2% to 6%. Results can vary based on how surveys were done, how many participants were recruited, and the accuracy of the test that researchers used.
While there are always “uncertainties and biases” in such a random sampling and the study was just a snapshot in time, Chan said he was confident in the accuracy of the Rhode Island tests, which were FDA-approved and considered one of the more accurate serology tests available. ___
TESTING FOR THE ASYMPTOMATIC
Gov. Gina Raimondo made another push Friday for people who work in professions that bring them into close contact with others - including hairdressers and child care workers - to get tested for the coronavirus, even if they don’t feel sick.
The state is falling well short of its goal of testing 900 asymptomatic people per day, something she says is critical in preventing a resurgence of the disease.
The tests, she noted, are free and have been expanded to include restaurant workers and bus drivers.
“To stay ahead of the virus we have to do a lot of continuous testing of people who aren’t sick,” the Democrat said at a news briefing.
The tests are also available to first responders, nursing home employees, and workers at barbershops, gyms, tattoo parlors and others.
She also said the state plans to open more testing sites in cities, where COVID-19 infection rates have been particularly high.
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PREVENTING HOMELESSNESS
To prevent a surge of homelessness because of the pandemic and the resulting economic chaos, Raimondo said the state will start offering bonuses to landlords who agree to rent to at-risk families, especially those who rely on rental assistance programs.
Under the program, landlords who rent to a low-income family will get a $2,000 bonus, and an additional $500 bonus for each subsequent unit they rent to a family in distress.
Landlords will also be eligible for $2,000 grants to make minor repairs.
The goal is to house 100 families by July 1.
Many landlords are reluctant to rent to tenants who use housing vouchers, she said, but that is “especially wrong and especially problematic” during the current crisis.
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HOSPITALIZATIONS
The state Department of Health on Friday reported 84 new cases of the disease and 10 additional deaths.
That brings the total number of confirmed cases in the state to nearly 16,000 and the death toll to 833.
The number of people in the hospital with the disease continues to hold steady, with 141 people hospitalized, according to the latest data.
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