How conservative are the current COVID-19 pandemic global statistics? After almost a year and a half of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the actual case count of those infected with its causative virus – severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – remains unclear. Though well over 167.2 million cases have been reported worldwide, this is certainly believed by many to be a massive undercount. A new epidemiological study uses the classical Susceptible-Infected-Removed-Contained (SIR-C) mathematical model to find the peak size and date of cases, both documented and unidentified, and the gap between them. A more accurate picture of the extent of the pandemic’s spread has a clear utility in the realm of pandemic management and public health policy. As the study authors note: