During governor's press conference, officials release findings of COVID-19 study
During his daily press conference, Governor Eric Holcomb and several other state leaders provided an update to the state's response to COVID-19.
During the press conference, the leaders of the Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI revealed the findings of a study designed to get a scientifically valid estimate of Hoosiers infected with COVID-19 or were previously infected and have antibodies.
The findings were revealed by Dr. Paul Halverson, Professor and founding dean of the school and Nir Menachemi, the Chair of Health Policy and Management for the school.
The results of the study are preliminary and may be updated.
Phase I of the study included 4,611 Hoosiers and was conducted between April 25 and May 1.
The findings revealed:
During the last week in April, 1.7 % of the participants were positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 an additional 1.1% were positive for antibodies.
They estimate the general population prevalence of COVID-19 at the end of wave one was 2.8%.
"Because the random sample was designed to be generalized to the general population, the data suggests 186,000 Hoosiers were currently or had been infected in late April," Menachemi said.
At the same time, the state was only aware of 17,000 cases, Menachemi said.
The findings mean only one in 11 infections were known.
The information gained from the study also gives officials a better understanding of the fatality rate, which is 0.58%.
The study also found 44.8% who tested positive for the virus reported no symptoms.
Also, those who lived with someone who was positive, was 12 times more likely to get the virus.
These findings suggest social distancing helped contain the virus within households, rather than community spread.
Phase 2 of the study begins in early June.