Dr. Robert R. Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, criticized “misleading media reports” that falsely claimed that there are 24 times more infections than the reported cases of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Misleading media reports have suggested that there are 24 times more SARS-CoV-2 infections than reported cases. As the CDC has been saying, our retrospective estimate is that there were 10 times as many cases as reported since the period we’ve been looking at antibody data: March through May, “Redfield said in a statement Wednesday.
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He was apparently upset with the media citing a recent JAMA Network study stating that “six to 24 times more infections per site with seroprevalence were estimated than with data from the 2019 coronavirus disease case report (COVID-19 ) “.
“The JAMA article estimated that the range was as low as 6 times in certain areas. In addition, the article also notes that in 10 sampled jurisdictions, an estimated 1% to 6.9% of people in those jurisdictions have had infection at some point based on antibody testing, “Redfield added.
Redfield said that of the 10 states used for the study, only one state was estimated to have 23.8 times more infections than the reported cases.
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“But this may be due to underreporting or fewer tests performed at the time the data was collected. The article indicates that the underreporting was due in part to asymptomatic people who were not looking for evidence at the time,” Redfield said, adding that the study covered a period of time from March to May.
“Today, we are evaluating more individuals and identifying more asymptomatic individuals than was previously possible,” said Redfield.
Kayla Rivas of Fox News contributed to this report.
