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Serology testing detects antibodies in blood that are only present in people who have previously been infected by the coronavirus. The testing determines whether a person has had COVID-19 in the past but not whether they are currently infected or contagious.
The study involved Alberta laboratories performing tests on about 9,400 anonymous, randomized blood samples collected for other reasons during the first week of June.
Less than one per cent of those samples showed the presence of antibodies, though Hinshaw warned that officials can not say whether it was a representative sample of Albertans.
The results of the study mean that early efforts to flatten the curve of COVID-19 infection in Alberta were successful, Hinshaw said.
“It also means that as of mid-May, a very low percentage of our population had been infected with COVID-19,” she said.
The serology testing study will be repeated monthly to show trends as Alberta began to reopen its economy.
Meanwhile, Alberta is expanding traditional swab testing as wait times for COVID-19 tests and results grow.
The province is now allowing all community pharmacies in Alberta who meet safety requirements to enrol in a program to offer asymptomatic coronavirus tests.
Last month, Alberta launched a pilot program that saw more than 10,000 Albertans receive COVID-19 tests at 20 pharmacies across Alberta.
Pharmacies may begin testing after they receive supplies from Alberta Precision Laboratories, a process that could take a number of weeks.
