CDC estimates coronavirus cases 10 times higher than what’s being reported

The actual number of Americans infected with the coronavirus is likely 10 times higher than the reported number, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There are more than 2.3 million coronavirus cases in the United States, so the CDC's estimate would raise that number to more than 23 million infected.

"Our best estimate right now is that for every case that's reported, there actually are 10 other infections," CDC Director Robert Redfield said Thursday.

Researchers examining blood samples from across the country looking for antibodies lead to the health agency's estimate. Scientists found that for each confirmed coronavirus case, there were 10 more people with antibodies, NBC News reported.

“This virus causes so much asymptomatic infection,” Redfield said. “The traditional approach of looking for symptomatic illness and diagnosing it obviously underestimates the total amount of infections.”

Cox Media Group