Nota del Editor: WHRO publico esta historia en Español el 18 de septiembre. Puedes encontrar esa historia aquí. Mechelle Hankerson tradujo la historia de inglés a español.

The Virginia Department of Health estimates 2.4% of adults in Virginia have COVID-19 antibodies, suggesting a prior infection.

It's much higher among Latino adults, the agency estimates. 10.4% of Latino adults in the state have antibodies to the illness, the state estimates.

State Health Commissioner Dr. Norm Oliver said in a press release the numbers suggest a "relatively low" rate of exposure among adults.

"Virginians are avoiding infections by following recommendations on wearing masks, social distancing and handwashing," he said. "We continue to study the higher rate of infection in Hispanic adults and to work with community partners to formulate additional interventions.”

Latinos in Virginia have been disproportionately impacted by the virus since the pandemic started.

Latinos currently make up about 24% of the state's COVID cases and 10% of the total population. The high numbers were driven at the beginning of the pandemic by outbreaks at chicken processing plants on the Eastern Shore.

The state's serology study, which estimates how many people have developed antibodies, looked at 4,675 adults across the state who were not receiving health care related to COVID-19. They completed a questionnaire and provided a blood sample for testing.

Major hospital systems across Virginia helped the health department gather the data. Sentara Healthcare in Hampton Roads collected information for this part of the state.i

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