A study released on Monday between the University of Southern California (USC) and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health showed that Los Angeles county has likely faced many more cases of COVID-19 than expected. However, the fatality rate is also resultantly to be lower than previously believed.

These results come from the first round of testing, and this is the first large-scale study of this type in Los Angeles County. The study estimates that about 4.1 percent of adults in the county have antibodies to the virus, which indicates exposure to the virus.

“We haven’t known the true extent of COVID-19 infections in our community because we have only tested people with symptoms, and the availability of tests has been limited. The estimates also suggest that we might have to recalibrate disease prediction models and rethink public health strategies,” lead investigator Neeraj Sood said, according to USC.

An estimated 221,000 to 442,000 adults have been infected with the virus: a much higher number than was previously believed. However, due to the much higher number of infections, the fatality rate is lower, as the more infections that occur without a significant increase in deaths, the lower the fatality rate.

The results of the study have not been peer-reviewed by other scientists yet. In terms of future plans, in the next few months, those who conducted research for the study plan to test new groups of participants every few weeks. This will show how the disease continues to spread throughout the county.