Survey suggests 2.5% of Italians have COVID-19 antibodies, which would be 6 times more than the official count of cases

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• A survey by the Italian government suggests 2.5% of Italy's population has coronavirus antibodies, or nearly 1.5 million people.
• That total is six times the confirmed COVID-19 tally of just under 250,000 cases.
• Nearly a third of those carrying the antibodies were asymptomatic, the survey suggested.
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Just under 250,000 Italians have had confirmed cases of COVID-19, but a new survey released Monday suggests the actual tally is six times the official count.

Almost 1.5 million people (1.48 million), or 2.5% of the population, likely have coronavirus antibodies, according to the survey by Italy's health ministry and statistics agency, Reuters reported. That finding is based on testing of 64,660 people between May 25 and July 15. Of those tested, 27.3% were asymptomatic. Tests were done in partnership with the Italian Red Cross.

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