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In a study published in Science December 8, a group of researchers estimate that 76 percent of the population of Manaus, the first Brazilian city to be hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, could have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus so far, based on antibodies present in samples from blood banks. The report also estimates that in São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, that percentage is much lower, accounting for 29 percent of the population. According to the paper, these results highlight the failure of Manaus to control the spread of the virus.
The findings are based on the analysis of samples from donor blood centers. Because Brazilian law establishes that blood banks should keep samples for six months, the researchers were able to go back in time and trace the unravelling of the pandemic between February and October. In the case of Manaus, they ...
