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MEXICO CITY
As many as one-third of Mexicans may have been exposed to the coronavirus by the end of 2020, according to a study of random blood samples taken between February and December of last year.
Antibodies were found in 33.5% of samples from Mexican blood banks and medical laboratory tests unrelated to COVID-19. The levels varied according to regions; the highest exposure rate was in the northwest, from Baja California to Chihuahua, at 40.7%. The lowest was in western states, at 26.6%. In general, areas along the U.S. border had higher rates.
Victor Borja of the Mexican Social Security Institute said the rate may have risen by as many as 10 percentage points on average nationwide following the huge surge in cases in January. But even if the exposure rate is currently as much as 43.5%, Borja stressed that the country was still far from herd immunity.
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Mexican States That Border U.S. Have Higher Rates of COVID Exposure, Study Says
On 4/29/21 at 1:20 PM EDT
Mexican states that border the U.S. have higher rates of COVID-19 exposure, according to a study of random blood samples taken across the country between February and December 2020.
The report found that the highest rates of coronavirus antibodies were found in blood samples from people in Baja California, a northwest Mexican state that borders California, and Chihuahua, a state that borders New Mexico and Texas, both with 40.7 percent.
In comparison, antibodies were found in only 26.6 percent of blood samples taken in western states,