" no way you can test that in laboratory directly" - I'm sorry but why is that exactly? There have been many studies which measured symptomatic spread of respiratory viruses, some of which have been cited to support asymptomatic spread, although that does not appear to be a valid comparison.
"The most accurate number are of course people tested positive, which forms the baseline." - how can this be in any way accurate if no general testing protocol has been established? The CDC said on their website that "not all individuals need to be tested" which is very confusing given that asymptomatic individuals are allegedly spreading the virus and b) there can be no accurate IFR or CFR statement or estimate without that data.
specific timeframe: 2020
Charon, you describe yourself as a "biology expert." Can you clarify what this means? I don't mean to question your credentials, its just that I thought biology was too vast a field to be amenable to general expertise...
also did the last administration really craft the CDC policies with respect to C-19? Because this is where the failure appears to lie....