Explainer: How many Covid-19 infections really are out there?

Right now, the real number of daily Covid infections is about twice as high as the daily reported cases. READ MORE:* Covid-19: Ministry of Health reports 24,068 new weekly Covid cases* Only 35% of Covid cases being reported, ministry says, after earlier saying it was 75%* Covid-19: Is our long-postponed infection survey still worth doing? A high ascertainment rate – closer to 100% – means the reported cases more closely match the true number of infections. Apply the case ascertainment rate and that means there were some 40,000 infection a day back in March. Ella Bates-Hermans/Stuff The case number totals you read about all the time are informed by largely self-reported Covid-19 cases.