China has released an updated list for the Wuhan death toll due to Coronavirus. The official number of deaths in Wuhan due to the dreaded disease has now been updated to 50 per cent more! It may be remembered that Wuhan has been considered to be the area from where COVID – 19 erupted and has been the epicentre of the ailment in the Chinese region.
The latest update from Chinese authorities has added another 1290 more fatalities. This has given rise to the speculation about cover-ups and other conspiracy theories. China has, however, ruled out any sort of cover up. The increased death toll has been attributed to a recording error and is said to be a part of the updated records that have now included the deaths that happened outside the hospitals.
With the recent addition, the total deaths in Wuhan, a city in the central Hubei province, has gone up to 3869 and the fatalities in the entire country to over 4600. New York Times reported that China reported an additional 325 cases in Wuhan taking the total number of infections in the region to 50333.
How does China explain the increased Wuhan death toll?
Officials have been claiming that the new numbers and the rise in the number of casualties has been a result of the detailed investigations and d not mean any new infections. The reason for a wrong count in the initial days has also been attributed to inaccurate reports by the hospitals and an overwhelmed medical fraternity.
The officials have claimed that the hike in the number of casualties is not something quite unique and unexpected. The new figures have been stated to be the result of the new updates available from different sources such as prisons and funeral homes.
A shortage of testing facility during the initial days of the outbreak has also been treated to be one of the prime reasons for the misreported or wrongly reported cases. The current figures have been a result of a comprehensive review, stated a spokesman for China’s National Health Commission, Mi Feng.
Why should these figures matter?
Well, China has always been accused of misreporting the figures with respect to the COVID 19 outbreak. There are several allegations being levelled against the Chinese authorities. US President Donald Trump has been quite vocal in his attack on the Chinse authorities of a cover up.
It may be remembered that the outbreak was first reported by China to the WHO authorities on December 31, 2019. However, the WHO authorities were allowed of an investigation not until 10th February, 2020. By that time, the country had been reeling under severe crisis with over 40000 cases already.
The newly reported Wuhan death toll numbers have further fuelled the concerns that the world leaders have had so far about the under reporting by China. China has been accused by world leaders of not handling the epidemic in the best possible manner. In fact, a doctor who was trying to warn his colleagues about the outbreak of a SARS-like viral infection was reportedly silenced. Dr Li Wenliang. who was actually researching on the COVID-19 disease succumbed to the same disease later on.
The sudden increase in the toll is being seen as a conspiracy the world over. Doubts have always been raised about the pandemic statistics that came officially from Chinese authorities. It is now being thought that the officials have been under-reporting the cases to create an impression that the country is managing the epidemic efficiently.
Perhaps this can also be a result of a coincidence, but there are several doubts being raised. The recently increased Wuhan death toll can be one of the reasons that may perhaps increase the doubts further.
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