'Coronavirus cases could be 5 to 10 times higher than reported'

The true number of coronavirus cases across the world could be "five to 10 times" higher than the 1 million confirmed Covid-19 infections that have already been confirmed globally, Australia's Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy said at a news conference Friday, reports CNN.

"We know that judging by the death rate, the testing rate, in many countries they're not detecting all the cases. There are some countries that don't have the capacity to test," he said. "In Australia, we're pretty confident that our testing has been the best in the world.

Australia reported 248 new patients on Friday, bringing the countrywide total to 5,224, including 23 deaths. As of April 2, Australia had conducted over 270,000 tests, according to the Department of Health.