Infection undercount sparks fear, but raises hope of herd immunity

Coronavirus antibody screening faces questions over accuracy and supplies

20200424N Indonesia airport

Air travelers at Jakarta's Halim Perdanakusuma Airport. Indonesia's coronavirus  pandemic is expected to peak in late May. © Reuters

JUNYA IWAI and DAISHI ABE, Nikkei staff writers

TOKYO -- The global population may be closer than expected to the critical level of herd immunity needed to reopen business and public activities safely, a recent coronavirus study suggests, but problems with testing make this hard to determine.

A survey in New York indicates that the number of people who have been infected by the virus could be 10 times higher than the official case count, the state said Thursday.

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