Preliminary results from a COVID-19 antibody testing study reveal that 175,000 people may have been infected with the coronavirus in Riverside County.
The number comes from a randomized study by the Riverside University Health System released Monday.
The study of 1,726 randomly chosen residents showed 1,621 tested negative and 101 had developed COVID-19 antibodies.
Based on that data, it is estimated there have been between 118,000 and 175,400 infections in Riverside County.
In a press release, county officials say the number “underscores the need to wear face coverings as people may have the virus without any symptoms, then easily spread it to others when not wearing a mask or keeping six feet distance.”
The aggregate count of known coronavirus cases in Riverside County is 35,187 as of Tuesday morning, with 671 deaths.