Dr. Ben Cowling, an epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong who researches influenza transmission and control measures, told Business Insider that case counts and death tolls are "often misleading," but he added that scientists know how to work around that.
"Most countries have not relied on data from China to make their policies," Cowling said in an email, referring to concerns about the data's accuracy. "A number of expert scientists used information on infections in Chinese travelers as a more accurate way to measure the occurrence of infections in China... because travelers were being monitored very carefully in some countries."
Testing has been extremely limited in the US, and the federal government has not ordered a nationwide lockdown. This has lest states to respond in drastically different ways as case numbers continue to skyrocket — and those likely underestimate the scope of the problem since the disease is spreading largely undetected.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious-disease expert, said in late March that the US will see "millions of cases" of COVID-19 and more than 100,000 deaths in the coming months.
Italy still reported more than 3,000 new cases on April 7 as its healthcare system continues to struggle.
Both measures have helped it monitor and contain the virus, leading to a decline in new cases and a low death rate.
Spain, the second-worst-hit country, reported more than 6,200 new cases as of April 8.
However, both Spain and Italy are finally starting to see an overall decline in new cases.
Morgan McFall-Johnsen contributed reporting to this story.
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