A study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that the majority of children in the U.S. have been infected with COVID-19.
That estimate comes from blood tests that reveal antibodies from infection, The Washington Post reported. These blood tests were analyzed by commercial labs nationwide for reasons unrelated to the coronavirus.
In addition to the estimates on the percentage of children who are believed to have been infected with COVID-19, the CDC estimates that about 43% of all Americans have been infected with the virus.
Those COVID-19 infection numbers, the Post points out, are about double the rate regularly cited by national case counts.
The blood test study counted infections throughout the pandemic that began in March 2020. While some people have been re-infected with the virus, the study counts each person only once. Additionally, the blood tests only recognize antibodies from natural infection, not antibodies gained from a vaccination.
According to the study, just under half of adults ages 18-49 have been infected with the virus. For people 50-64, the rate is 37%. Around 23% of people over age 65 are believed to have had the virus.
Infection rates are much higher for children and younger adults, according to the CDC. Around 58% of children up to age 11 have antibodies from natural infection, with infection rates for children ages 12 to 17 being about the same.
The study showed that at least half of the population in 14 states have been infected, with Wisconsin topping the list with 56%.
The other states that have rates hitting at least 50% include Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Wyoming, Texas, Indiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Michigan, New Jersey, Tennessee, Louisiana and Georgia.
Vermont has the lowest rate of infection, with 18%.
More than 215 million Americans are fully vaccinated and more than 94 million have gotten a booster dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
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