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Poll finds 1 in 10 Americans think they have been infected with COVID-19

Poll finds 1 in 10 Americans think they have been infected with COVID-19
Posted at 6:15 PM, Apr 24, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-24 21:15:38-04

A poll conducted by WebMD found that 1 in 10 Americans believe they have been infected with COVID-19 in the last 30 days, but few of them have been able to access testing.

Only 7% of those who thought they had COVID-19 were tested for the virus. Of those, two thirds tested positive for the virus.

The April 20-21 poll had had 6,300 respondents, and asked about symptoms and experiences with COVID-19 testing.

WebMD said that of those who said they were not tested, 39% said they did not meet the testing criteria, 28% said they didn't think they needed one, and 25% said that testing wasn't available in their area. Another 16% said they were concerned about seeking treatment.

Common symptoms included cough, loss of sense of smell or taste, body aches, diarrhea, headache, sore throat, and fatigue.

The poll found a significantly higher percentage of those in New York City believed they had COVID-19. The poll found 26% of New Yorkers thought they had the virus. On Thursday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that nearly 1 in 5 New York City residents had tested positive for coronavirus antibodies.