Coronavirus may have infected 10 times more Americans than reported, CDC says
More than 2 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. may seem like a staggering figure – but government experts now believe the actual number may be ten times that.
Officials from the Centers for Disease Control this week said more than 20 million people in the U.S. could have contracted the coronavirus, based on results from antibody testing.
If that estimate is correct, there is a bit of good news attached to it - which is that the virus would have killed a much smaller percentage of those with the disease than previously thought.
More than 120,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.
The CDC estimate comes as government officials note that many new cases are showing up in young people who do not exhibit symptoms and may not know they have the virus.
Officials said those people – especially ones who are in regular contact with vulnerable populations - should proactively get tested to make sure they do not spread the disease.
