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6% of Miami-Dade may have been infected with COVID-19, data suggests

MIAMI (WSVN) - Newly released data from an antibody surveillance program in Miami-Dade suggests the infection rate may be far higher than the official count.

According to Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, the program, in partnership with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, had nearly 1,800 participants randomly selected throughout the county.

They were asked to voluntarily share their health information and give “two drops of blood to determine whether they had produced antibodies to the novel coronavirus,” a press release said.

Preliminary data found around 6% of the county’s population, or 165,000, may have had the virus.

“Using statistical methods that account for the limitations of the test (sensitivity and specificity), we are 95% certain that the true amount of infection lies between 4.4% and 7.9% of the population, or between 123,000 and 221,000 residents.,” the release added.

More than half of the participants showed no symptoms in the seven to 14 days prior to screening.

“What we’re seeing here is from the studies that we’re gathering, both from Northern California, LA County, Chelsea and Massachusetts, and data that’s coming back from the University of Miami study locally. It looks like this virus is more contagious than we thought before,” said State Sen. Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, “so many more people have actually been exposed to the virus, but it looks like it’s much less deadlier than what we were looking at with the data that we have. As we continue to get more and more of that data, I think it’ll help us protect the most vulnerable and make decisions to be able to open up sectors of the economy safely within these protocols.”

As of 11 a.m., Friday, Miami-Dade’s official tally was nearly 11,000.

The county expressed concern over that statistic because asymptomatic carriers of the virus may unintentionally spread it to others.

“That’s why any openings we’re planning for parks and other places will require strict following of social distancing, and police will be out there enforcing the rules,” Gimenez said. “We want to get back to a new normal. That’s what we want to do, and we can only do so if people take personal responsibility and following the rules.”

The Re-Open Florida Task Force held four additional conference calls on Friday, and they are expected to give their recommendations at some point Friday to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

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