Antibody testing conducted in Ohio reveals the coronavirus was already present in the state nearly two months earlier than previously believed.
While the first cases of the virus in Ohio had been confirmed on March 9, health experts now say testing shows five different cases in five different counties in which the patients’ symptoms began in January.
"We are doing a lot more investigation, our disease detectives are going back to take a look at that and see if they were associated with travel," Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton said at a press conference Tuesday. "These cases now, we can pick them up because of the antibody testing. We are going to learn more and more about this disease, how long it was here in Ohio, how long it was spreading as we do more and more testing."
With 1,236 COVID-19 deaths confirmed by the Ohio Department of Health as of Tuesday, Ohio is set to begin reopening this week at the direction of Gov. Mike DeWine. Eased restrictions include allowing retail outlets to reopen, while restaurants may offer outdoor seating.
The new results are in line with other states that have begun testing for antibodies, most of which prove the virus is far more widespread than originally believed and began earlier than many experts thought. In New York City, antibody testing revealed a full 20 percent of Brooklyn residents had antibodies in their system, even among people who hadn’t experienced symptoms or realized they were sick. Based on similar testing, researchers in California estimate the actual number of infected persons is 50 to 80 times the number of confirmed positive cases, driving the death rate far lower than originally estimated.