Researchers at the Hong Kong University's School of Public Health estimate the actual number of Covid-19 cases in China, as on February 20, could be as high as 232,000, over four times the then official figure of 55,508. China has now reported 83,000 confirmed cases.
The methodology: China had revised its method of counting Covid-19 cases seven times between 15 January and 3 March, the study found. The researchers found the first four revisions increased the number of cases by 2.8 to 7.1 times. By adopting the fifth definition to back-dated estimates, the researchers revised the number of cases as on February 20 to 232,000.
Breadcrumbs: The study is the latest to raise suspicions on China's transparency. Early this month, China itself revised its official death toll, adding 1,290 fatalities to Wuhan's toll — an increase of around 50% to 3,869 fatalities. The US intelligence agencies told the White House in a classified report that China has concealed the number of cases and fatalities, multiple news publications recently revealed.
A standoff: This has worsened the already strained relations between China and the US, the worst-hit nation by official figures. "It could have been stopped in China before it started and it wasn't, and the whole world is suffering because of it," US President Donald Trump said recently.
“If it was a mistake, a mistake is a mistake. But if they were knowingly responsible, yeah, I mean, then sure there should be consequences,” Trump said. He did not elaborate on what form that might take.
He said the Chinese were “embarrassed” and the question now was whether what happened with the coronavirus was “a mistake that got out of control, or was it done deliberately?” “There’s a big difference between those two,” he said.
During the White House briefing, Trump interrupted his coronavirus response coordinator, Deborah Birx, who was showing a comparison of deaths per 100,000 people in a range of countries, to say he didn’t believe China and Iran’s stated fatalities.
“Does anybody really believe these figures?” he asked.
The methodology: China had revised its method of counting Covid-19 cases seven times between 15 January and 3 March, the study found. The researchers found the first four revisions increased the number of cases by 2.8 to 7.1 times. By adopting the fifth definition to back-dated estimates, the researchers revised the number of cases as on February 20 to 232,000.
Breadcrumbs: The study is the latest to raise suspicions on China's transparency. Early this month, China itself revised its official death toll, adding 1,290 fatalities to Wuhan's toll — an increase of around 50% to 3,869 fatalities. The US intelligence agencies told the White House in a classified report that China has concealed the number of cases and fatalities, multiple news publications recently revealed.
A standoff: This has worsened the already strained relations between China and the US, the worst-hit nation by official figures. "It could have been stopped in China before it started and it wasn't, and the whole world is suffering because of it," US President Donald Trump said recently.
“If it was a mistake, a mistake is a mistake. But if they were knowingly responsible, yeah, I mean, then sure there should be consequences,” Trump said. He did not elaborate on what form that might take.
He said the Chinese were “embarrassed” and the question now was whether what happened with the coronavirus was “a mistake that got out of control, or was it done deliberately?” “There’s a big difference between those two,” he said.
During the White House briefing, Trump interrupted his coronavirus response coordinator, Deborah Birx, who was showing a comparison of deaths per 100,000 people in a range of countries, to say he didn’t believe China and Iran’s stated fatalities.
“Does anybody really believe these figures?” he asked.
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