New death figures appears in China
The update on the number of death in Wuhan has sparked criticism over whether that country's government is trying to hide the truth.
China revealed that the death toll in Wuhan from COVID-19 is approximately 50% higher than the one they initially turned in. / Photo: Rawpixel
LatinAmerican Post | Juliana Suárez
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Leer en español: Nuevas cifras de muertos aparecen en China
The record of the deaths from coronavirus in Wuhan, the city where patient zero appeared, and the place where the worst part of the crisis has passed, went from 1290 to 3689. This increase of 50 percent sparked criticism throughout the world, since China has been accused of wanting to hide the reality.
The Wuhan authorities claimed that this increase was not due to an attempt to hide the truth, but was the result of the final review. The fact that the number of deaths has doubled is due to the fact that the previous number corresponded to those who had died in the city's hospitals, but the new number includes reports that were still pending and other deaths that occurred outside of hospitals. It has also been added that around the world people have died from diseases aggravated by the virus, but that the contagion had not been detected.
The criticism is based on another pandemic also originating in China, in which the government tried to incubate the gravity of what was happening. In 2002, the SARS virus became the first pandemic of the 21st century, but it took several days for the Chinese government to admit that it was larger than it was showing. The cover-up was criticized by the international community and by the World Health Organization, reason why from the beginning of the spread of COVID-19 it was feared that China would repeat what happened years ago.
Also read: Donald Trump is right and the WHO lied?
This update comes just at a time of tension at the international level due to an alleged negligence of the WHO regarding the beginnings of the virus. Days ago, President Trump temporarily withdrew the United States' financial contribution to the organization due to mismanagement to control and treat the epidemic. In his arguments was the accusation, also corroborated by Taiwan, that the WHO was aware of the outbreak before it worsened.
Thus, the publication of the new data would enter the same equation of the WHO cover-up complaint. This, however, has been strongly denied by the Wuhan authorities.
