Medicine and Health

Substantial underestimation of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the United States

S. L. Wu, A. N. Mertens, et al.

Explore how a team of researchers, including Sean L. Wu and Andrew N. Mertens, uncovered a staggering 6.4 million cumulative SARS-CoV-2 infections in the U.S. by April 2020, far exceeding the confirmed case numbers. Their innovative semi-Bayesian approach reveals vital insights into the infection burden often overlooked due to limited testing accuracy.

00:00

Playback language: English

Index

Abstract

Accurate estimates of SARS-CoV-2 infection are crucial for pandemic response. Confirmed COVID-19 case counts in the U.S. underestimate the true burden due to limited testing. Using a semi-Bayesian probabilistic bias analysis, the study estimated 6,454,951 cumulative infections by April 18, 2020, compared to 721,245 confirmed cases. Incomplete testing accounted for 86% of this difference, with imperfect test accuracy accounting for the remaining 14%. The methodology can be applied elsewhere to improve COVID-19 burden assessment.

Publisher

Nature Communications

Published On

Jul 28, 2020

Authors

Sean L. Wu, Andrew N. Mertens, Yoshika S. Crider, Anna Nguyen, Nolan N. Pokpongkiat, Stephanie Djaajadi, Anmol Seth, Michelle S. Hsiang, John M. Colford Jr., Art Reingold, Benjamin F. Arnold, Alan Hubbard, Jade Benjamin-Chung

Related Publications

Explore these studies to deepen your understanding of the subject.

Environmental Studies and Forestry

Role of meteorological factors in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the United States

Y. Ma, S. Pei, et al.

Environmental Studies and Forestry

SARS-CoV-2 test positivity rate in Reno, Nevada: association with PM2.5 during the 2020 wildfire smoke events in the western United States

D. Kiser, G. Elhanan, et al.

Medicine and Health

Characterizing and Predicting Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection (PASC) in a Large Academic Medical Center in the US

L. G. Fritsche, W. Jin, et al.

Health and Fitness

Modelling the economic burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection in health care workers in four countries

H. Wang, W. Zeng, et al.

Listen, Learn & Level Up

Over 10,000 hours of research content in 25+ fields, available in 12+ languages.

No more digging through PDFs, just hit play and absorb the world's latest research in your language, on your time.

listen to research audio papers with researchbunny