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Older adults had the lowest COVID antibodies from a past infection.
After more than 3 years, the public health emergency by Covid-19 in the United States nevertheless ends on Thursday.
By the end of 2022, about one in four U. S. adults and older teens will be in the U. S. The U. S. Department of Health did not yet have COVID-19, according to new federal data.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracked seroprevalence (antibodies in the blood) by collecting national samples from blood donors between January and December 2022.
The data suggests that 77. 5 percent of other people over the age of 16 had antibodies against COVID-19 infection by the end of 2022, according to the agency’s final estimates, compared with an estimate of 48. 8 percent at the beginning of the year.
Meanwhile, by adding other people who had antibodies due to infection, vaccination, or a combination of both, the CDC estimated that this represents about 96. 7% of the population.
In terms of age groups, those over 65 had the lowest estimated percentage of other people with antibodies from a past infection at 56. 5% and adolescents and young adults aged 16 to 29 had the percentage at 87. 1%.
Only 47 states and the District of Columbia had seroprevalence data, with Vermont appearing to have the lowest percentage of estimated citizens with infection-induced antibodies at 64. 4% and Iowa at 90. 6%.
There were no primary differences between men and 79. 3% and 75. 7%, respectively, were estimated to have antibodies to the infection.
Among racial/ethnic groups, Asian Americans had the lowest estimated percentage of infection-induced antibodies at 66. 1% and Hispanic Americans had 80. 6%.
“Even though the other variants of COVID are so contagious, it’s notable that at the end of last year, only three-quarters, plus a little bit, of our population had an infection and that might be a little surprising,” he said. Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. to ABC news.
Experts said there are a few reasons Americans may not yet have COVID-19, adding to be more diligent with mitigation measures, such as wearing masks and living in a more rural area.
“We have a giant rural population in the United States, and this virus may not have reached everyone living in a less populated part of the country,” Schaffner said. “Obviously, if you live in big cities where you meet people, there will be a lot more streaming opportunities. “
Experts added that it’s also a reminder of the importance of vaccination and that it’s not too late to get vaccinated for those who haven’t already.
In April, the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration simplified the vaccination schedule to propose that everyone else age 6 and older get an updated bivalent COVID-19 vaccine, whether or not they have finished their number one monovalent vaccine. series.
Additionally, the FDA’s Vaccine Advisory Committee in June indicated that vaccine brands updated their COVID booster shots to target XBB. 1. 5, which is the most common strain in the United States.
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, told ABC News that the simplified schedule is especially important as fall approaches and colder weather, when cases tend to rise.
“It’s not too late to keep an open brain about protection, especially since one in 4 is not a small number,” he said. “Many other people have already been exposed naturally, but we know that [antibodies] time, and it’s probably a smart concept to receive at least one recent injection . . . Simplification is the call of the game. “
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