Two stories are circulating prominently in the media that attempt to draw a correlation between the level of COVID-19 testing and the number of unreported cases, one in Japan that some media are describing as a “bombshell” and one in the U.S. getting equal treatment.
Interpretation of the data depends on the eye of the beholder.
In Japan, a new study by the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science reported that between January 2020 and March 2021, Tokyo had an estimated 471,780 cases — nearly quadruple the 120,000 cases reported during that period. The study then drew the conclusion that some experts have been preaching since the start of the pandemic — that this is "because Japan did not test enough."