CDC: Nearly 70% of Texans likely had COVID

Most Texans have probably had COVID-19, newly released CDC data suggests.

Threat level: The total estimated infections since the start of the pandemic in Texas is a whopping 19.4 million — significantly higher than the state's roughly 6.5 million reported cases, according to the CDC study.

• Nearly 70% of the state's population likely had the coronavirus based on an analysis of antibodies in blood samples.
• The number of infected Texans jumped dramatically during the Omicron surge. In January, the CDC estimated that nearly 53% of the state had been infected. As of Feb. 25, the latest data available, that number has surged to nearly 70%.

The big picture: The Lone Star State's rate is higher than the national average, which shows that a majority of Americans — or nearly 60% of U.S. adults and nearly 75% of adolescents — have antibodies that indicate prior coronavirus infections.

Zoom in: Temporary immunity from previous infections combined with a growing number of vaccinations have dramatically curtailed the state and county's hospital admissions.

• Travis County remains at its lowest threat level for COVID community risk, with 135 new cases reported Friday and 26 COVID patients hospitalized in area hospitals.

Dig deeper: The nationwide antibody seroprevalence survey estimates the percentage of people with at least one resolving or past COVID infection.

• Only one in three people ages 65 and older have the COVID antibodies, nationwide data shows.
• But three in four kids have them as of February 2022, up from under half in December 2021 at the beginning of the Omicron surge in the U.S.