Almost a third of children have COVID-19 antibodies in Texas study

COVID-19 antibody test
(Image credit: Ringo Chiu/AFP/Getty Images)

A large ongoing study in Texas has found that between 14 percent and 34 percent of all Texans have COVID-19 antibodies, including about 30 percent of children age 5 to 19, KERA News in Dallas reported Monday. The surprise preliminary findings suggest children could play an important role in helping Texas and the U.S. achieve herd immunity.

The Texas CARES study, a collaboration between University of Texas School of Public Health in Dallas and the Texas Department of State Health Services, collects and tests thousands of blood samples and patient surveys, looking for the prevalence of COVID-19 in the state. It runs through July.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.