Brazil likely has 12 times more coronavirus cases than official count, study finds
APRIL 13, 2020 / 2:25 PM / UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO
Jake Spring, Pedro Fonseca
3 MIN READ
BRASILIA/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil likely has 12 times more cases of the new coronavirus than are being officially reported by the government, with too little testing and long waits to confirm the results, according to a study released on Monday.
Researchers at a consortium of Brazilian universities and institutes examined the ratio of cases resulting in deaths through April 10 and compared it with data on the expected death rate from the World Health Organization.
The much higher-than-expected death rate in Brazil indicates there are many more cases of the virus than are being counted, with the study estimating only 8% of cases are being officially reported.
The government has focused on testing serious cases rather than all suspected cases, according to the consortium, known as the Center for Health Operations and Intelligence. The center and medical professionals have also complained of long wait times to get test results.
More:
https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-brazil-cases/brazil-likely-has-12-times-more-coronavirus-cases-than-official-count-study-finds-idUKKCN21V1X1?rpc=401&
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