It's Brian Lehrer, and this is my daily politics podcast from WNYC Studios.

It's Friday, April 24th.

Yesterday, New York State released the results of its first coronavirus antibody survey. Antibodies indicate you have had the

virus whether or not you ever felt symptoms and that you might, might be immune. In New York City,

21% of people sampled tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies. 21%. It was around 17% positive on Long Island,

around 12% in Westchester and Rockland, and less than 4% in the rest of the state. The results

come from random blood testing of about 3,000 people, including 1,300 in the city, at grocery and big box stores over the course

of two days.

So what does this mean for understanding the virus and for getting New York eventually back

toward normal?

With me now, a Pueva Mendevili, science journalist, frequent contributor to the New York

Times, about to be full-time there,

I understand, and the 2019 winner of the Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Reporting.

Thanks for doing this, Apurville. Welcome back to WNYC.

Thank you. Thanks for having me again.

And congratulations on being hired by the time.

Did I get that right?

Yes, that's right.

I'll be starting there on May 18th.

That's great.

And well deserved from my reading of your reporting.

Is a 21% positive rate in the city a lot, a little?

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