CDC says COVID-19 cases in U.S. may be 8 times higher than reported. Does this mean that the death rate from the virus is1/8 of the reported rate?
For each case reported (via testing) there are likely 7 other infections estimated in the U.S. population. The known Case Fatality Rate (CFR) is calculated based on known deaths and cases. It is currently 2.5%. The estimated Infection Fatality Rate (IFR) is calculated based on known deaths and estimated infections in the population. It is somewhere between 0.2% and 0.8%. The latest U.S. wide figures had the IFR at around 0.6% but this latest information makes it appear to be 0.31%. However the estimated number of deaths due to COVID is probably 20% higher than the current confirmed deaths from COVID in the U.S. - which increases the numerator.