Up to 8% of US population has been infected with virus — CDC antibody survey

Between five and eight percent of the total US population has experienced infection with the new coronavirus, a top health body says, warning pregnant women are at a higher risk of getting severe COVID-19.

The estimate for infections by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is based on nationally representative antibody test surveys, which suggest that the count of confirmed cases represents only about a tenth of the real figure.

The US population is 329.8 million, and the true number of people who are or have previously been infected is between 16.5 and 26.4 million people, according to the estimate.

The infection figures came as Texas, one of the fastest states to ease its shutdown, halts steps to reopen its economy after a sharp rise in recent cases.

The number of new coronavirus infections is approaching record daily levels in the US, with more than 35,900 cases recorded in the past 24 hours, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

— AFP