A new serology study gives us reason to be optimistic that life will return to normal shortly.
A sample of 3300 residents of Santa Clara, California, were evaluated for the presence of antibodies. The results showed that the number of people infected was 50-85 times more than what was previously estimated.1 This automatically means that the probability of dying if you are infected is also reduced by 50-85 times. Simply put, many people are recovering without ever knowing they were infected. According to Dr. Ioannidis, this is evidence that “COVID-19 has an infection fatality rate that is in the same ballpark as seasonal influenza.”
Another study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that over 15% of women entering two New York hospitals to give birth were infected (10 times the rate of documented cases in the city), and 88% of the infected cases were asymptomatic.2 Showing once again that most people, including pregnant women, are recovering just fine.
As we continue to collect data from ongoing studies, we are left to wonder how we may have handled this virus had we not been influenced by the grossly exaggerated predictions that dominated the news media.
There is no doubt that we are experiencing a terrible crisis that has tragically claimed many lives, while exposing many weaknesses with our healthcare system and long-term care homes. Amid all the suffering and chaos, these studies, as well as consistent data from around the world, serve as evidence that with proper strategic planning we can and will return to normal soon. It is time to turn some of our fears into rational optimism – and start to focus on how to lift each other back up from the verge of collapse.
Marc Jaoudé
Naturopath, Health Educator
Nutrition & Exercise Specialist
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References
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Bendavid, E., Mulaney, B., Sood, N., Shah, S., Ling, E., Bromley-Dulfano, R., … Bhattacharya, J. (2020, April 14). COVID-19 Antibody Seroprevalence in Santa Clara County, California. Retrieved from https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.14.20062463v1
- Grein, J., Sutton, D., & Doremalen, N. van. (2020, April 10). Universal Screening for SARS-CoV-2 in Women Admitted for Delivery: NEJM. Retrieved from https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2009316?mod=article_inline
