COVID-19 | Drop in new China virus cases as toll reaches 2,345: govt

The number of new cases nationwide for February 19 was revised up to 820 up from 394 previously reported

February 22, 2020 08:04 am | Updated 08:05 am IST - Beijing

BEIJING, CHINA - FEBRUARY 21: A Chinese man wears a protective mask as he walks by a propaganda billboard at a normally busy intersection on February 21, 2020 in Beijing, China. The number of cases of the deadly new coronavirus COVID-19 being treated in China was more than 55000  in mainland China Thursday, in what the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global public health emergency. China continued to lock down the city of Wuhan in an effort to contain the spread of the pneumonia-like disease which medicals experts have confirmed can be passed from human to human. In an unprecedented move, Chinese authorities have maintained and in some cases tightened the travel restrictions on the city which is the epicentre of the virus and also in municipalities in other parts of the country affecting tens of millions of people. The number of those who have died from the virus in China climbed to over 2230 on Friday mostly in Hubei province, and cases have been reported in other countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, India, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and several others. The World Health Organization has warned all governments to be on alert and screening has been stepped up at airports around the world. Some countries, including the United States, have put restrictions on Chinese travellers entering and advised their citizens against travel to China. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

BEIJING, CHINA - FEBRUARY 21: A Chinese man wears a protective mask as he walks by a propaganda billboard at a normally busy intersection on February 21, 2020 in Beijing, China. The number of cases of the deadly new coronavirus COVID-19 being treated in China was more than 55000 in mainland China Thursday, in what the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global public health emergency. China continued to lock down the city of Wuhan in an effort to contain the spread of the pneumonia-like disease which medicals experts have confirmed can be passed from human to human. In an unprecedented move, Chinese authorities have maintained and in some cases tightened the travel restrictions on the city which is the epicentre of the virus and also in municipalities in other parts of the country affecting tens of millions of people. The number of those who have died from the virus in China climbed to over 2230 on Friday mostly in Hubei province, and cases have been reported in other countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, India, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and several others. The World Health Organization has warned all governments to be on alert and screening has been stepped up at airports around the world. Some countries, including the United States, have put restrictions on Chinese travellers entering and advised their citizens against travel to China. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

The death toll in China from the new coronavirus outbreak rose by 109, the National Health Commission said on February 22, bringing the total number of fatalities to 2,345.

Another 397 new cases were reported nationwide, down from nearly 900 officially reported February 21 , bringing the total number of cases to over 76,000.

The drop in new cases of the novel coronavirus came as officials in Hubei province – whose capital city Wuhan is the epicentre the outbreak – were ordered to revise figures to clear “doubt” around the data.

The number of new cases nationwide for February 19 was revised up to 820 up from 394 previously reported, the National Health Commission said on February 22.

It also adjusted upwards the total confirmed cases for February 20 by over 400 cases to 75,891.

The decision to amend Hubei's past data, which was announced on February 21 by local authorities, is the latest in a string of changes made to Hubei's counting method — further complicating efforts to track the spread of the illness.

Last week, Chinese health officials added patients from Hubei who had been diagnosed via clinical methods including lung imaging on top of those confirmed by lab tests.

But on February 20, Hubei officials backtracked the decision and deducted 279 cases — which they were ordered to re-add to the count on February 21.

Also read: Explained | When can people transmit the novel coronavirus?

 

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.