The true number of coronavirus cases across the world could be “five to 10 times” higher than the 1 million confirmed Covid-19 infections that have already been confirmed globally, Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy said at a news conference Friday.
“We know that judging by the death rate, the testing rate, in many countries they’re not detecting all the cases. There are some countries that don’t have the capacity to test,” he said. “In Australia, we’re pretty confident that our testing has been the best in the world.
Australia reported 248 new patients on Friday, bringing the countrywide total to 5,224, including 23 deaths. As of April 2, Australia had conducted over 270,000 tests, according to the Department of Health.
Watch Murphy’s comments:
JUST IN: The number of reported COVID-19 cases worldwide has passed one million, but the true number is "probably five or 10 times as much as that," says CMO Professor Brendan Murphy. #9News
More here: https://t.co/jn8EaHCgzY pic.twitter.com/R53TZ2eQAY
— Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) April 3, 2020