A new German coronavirus death rate could mean 7.9million Brits already have already had the killer bug and survived – 40 times official figures.
More than 10 times as many people in Germany have likely been infected with Covid-19 than the number of confirmed cases, experts have claimed.
The preliminary study results come after field trials in the mainland European country's worst hit towns were conducted by researchers at the University of Bonn.
The findings have yet to be peer reviewed for publication in a scientific journal, but serve as a reminder of the dangers of infection by unidentified carriers of the virus, some of whom show no symptoms, the researchers said.
For updates on coronavirus, follow our live blog HERE.
Meanwhile, taking into account Britain's official death toll of 29,427 and official infection rate of 194,990, it would mean the case total is as high as 7.9million.
The University of Bonn readings come as Germany took further steps on Monday to ease restrictions, with museums, hairdressers, churches and more car factories reopening under strict conditions.
About 1.8 million people living in Germany must have been infected, more than 10 times the number of about 160,000 confirmed cases so far, the team led by medical researchers Hendrik Streeck and Gunther Hartmann concluded.
"The results can help to further improve the models to calculate how the virus spreads. So far the underlying data has been relatively weak," Hartmann said in a statement.
The team analysed blood and nasal swabs from a random sample of 919 people living in a town in the municipality of Heinsberg on the Dutch border, which had among the highest death tolls in Germany.
To arrive at their estimate, the researchers put the town's number of known deaths from COVID-19 relative to the larger estimate of local people with a prior infection - as indicated by antibody blood test readings - and applied the rate of 0.37% to country-wide deaths.
They also found that about one in five of those infected showed no symptoms.
It comes as Brits wait with baited breath for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's 'road map' for exiting lockdown, though the UK is likely to see certain strict measures in place for up to a year.
Friends and family may soon be allowed to meet up in a small 'bubble' for picnics under new plans being drawn up, but even this is thought to be weeks away.
