there’s a published, but not peer-reviewed study that put the figure as high as 40 million.
There were a very large number of “flu” cases this Feb-March, that tested negative for the flu, but since there was no COVID test available, none was given.
Compared to a normal year, those numbers were huge, and given the timing, it’s reasonable to suspect that a ton of people may have had COVID-19 but had either the relatively mild flu-like symptoms, or in as many as half the cases, NO symptoms at all.
This is why getting the antibody testing to a robust scale is so important. There may be tens of millions of people who are sheltering at home who are in fact fully immune to the disease, having had it already.
They also are not contagious to others. They would be the key to restarting the economy.
40 million can go out and work. What about other 290 million? They would get infected with COVID-19 on purpose in order to acquire antibodies they need in order to work again.
Robust scale, I agree with that.
Test all 350 million as some are floating out there, not gonna happen.
We might have that many tests available by the time COVID-87 comes along.
They have to do enough testing to get a good statistical sample of how much immunity already exists in the general population. Likely this is also going to confirm that their early death curve models were crap.