New data shows one in two Australian adults has now caught COVID. Scientists are using blood donor samples to track the virus by looking for specific proteins only found in those who've been infected. 7NEWS
“We were expecting an increase again because we have sustained community transmission since Omicron and we have also had a relaxation of a lot of the public heath mitigating strategies like mask-wearing over the past few months,” Machalek told 7NEWS.com.au.On whether this trajectory suggests similar transmission increases in the future, Machalek doesn’t want to speculate: “It depends what happens with BA.4 and BA.5.
Machalek says this creates a more accurate picture of infection than reported cases alone, as it detects asymptomatic cases and those that weren’t reported. As the samples belonged to blood donors, typically represented by a conscientious and public health-minded cohort, there’s a possibility the data reflects a demographic that exhibit COVID-safe behaviours more than others.
Blood donors are a conscientious cohort and may exhibit more COVID-safe behaviours that the general public, meaning the figure of infection could be even higher in the wider Australian population.The data checked for two different antibodies: the anti-spike antibody, indistinguishably created by the body’s response to the vaccine and natural infection; and the anti-nucleocapsid protein antibody, which is only prompted by natural infection.