Less than 25% of the country has yet to contract COVID-19 (or one of its variants), according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The data looks at antibodies data collected through the end of last year. The health care organization now estimates 77.5% of the country aged 16 and up currently has antibodies from at least one prior infection. (Samples were taken from blood donors last year.)
That final figure is considerably higher than the 48.8% the CDC estimated at the beginning of the year or the 57.7% last April.
The figure does not factor in antibodies from vaccines. When that data is included, the CDC estimates 96.7% of Americans 16 and older have some form of protection.
While COVID has been deadliest for seniors, that age group has been most successful overall in avoiding the disease. According to the CDC data, some 56.6% of people ages 65 and older have had at least one prior infection. Young adults between the ages of 16 and 29 had the largest percentage of prior infections, coming in at 87.1%.
It’s important to note that having antibodies does not mean people are protected from coming down with COVID again. Immunity wanes over time.
The CDC numbers were not complete, as only 47 states (Florida, Alaska, and Hawaii were excluded) had seroprevalence data, test results that showed evidence of antibodies.
Neither men nor women showed a significantly higher level of antibodies. Demographically, Hispanic Americans showed the highest percentage at 80.6%, while 66.1% of Asian Americans showed antibodies.