Wuhan authorities in a post on a social network increased the death toll by 50% to a total of 3869 admitting that numerous cases were not correctly reported, or had not been considered.
The numbers given by the Chinese authorities had been repeatedly questioned and China had been accused of lack of transparency in the management of the epidemic that caused over 145,000 confirmed worldwide infecting more than 2 million people.
The capital of Hubei, where the pandemic originated, suffered the greatest number of victims in the Asian country.
Earlier this month, Wuhan lifted the lockdown that paralyzed the city of 11 million for more than two months in a drastic effort to contain the virus.
The 1,290 missing deaths increase the death toll in China by 39% to 4632, according to official data provided on Friday.
The headquarters for the prevention and control of the Wuhan epidemic cited several reasons for the missing cases, including the fact that the city’s medical staff was overwhelmed by the number of infections, thus leading to “late reports, omissions, or incorrect reports “.
Inadequate facilities and insufficient tests were also mentioned among the various causes of omissions, adding that some patients died at home and therefore their deaths were not reported correctly.
On Thursday, President Xi Jinping approved the withdrawal of over 4000 military doctors from Hubei province.
Source (AFP, Reuters)
Featured image: Citizens of Wuhan lining up outside of a drug store to buy masks during the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak (wikimedia)
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