In Wuhan, about half a million people may have Covid-19, the study shows. That’s about 10 times the official figure

12/29/2020 Health, World


The study used a sample of 34,000 people from Wuhan’s general population – the epicenter of the epidemic – and other cities in Hubei province, as well as estimates of covid-19 infection rates in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong, Jiangsu, Sichuan and Laoning provinces.

Researchers found widespread rates of antibodies to Covid-19 among residents of the Wuhan metropolis of 11 million people. As of Sunday, there were a total of 50,354 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Wuhan, according to the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission.

The purpose of this study was to estimate the scale of previous infections in the population by testing blood serum samples from a pool of people for coronavirus antibodies. Its findings are not based on final statistics on how many people have been exposed to the virus in a given area.

The Chinese CDC said the study was conducted “one month after the first wave of the Covid-19 epidemic was contained in China.” The prevalence rate outside Wuhan is significantly lower, the study showed. In other cities in Hubei, only 0.44% of residents are found to have coronavirus antibodies.

Outside the province, antibodies were found in just two of the more than 12,000 residents surveyed.

The results of the study were revealed in a Chinese CDC post on social media on Monday. It did not mention whether the study was published in an academic journal.

Underreported coronavirus infection

Yanzong Huang, a senior member of the Council on Foreign Relations’ global health adviser, said the study focused on the problem of low-carrying infections during the height of the outbreak in Wuhan, partly due to the chaos and failure to include asymptomatic cases.

In January and February, patients suffering from fever flooded Wuhan hospitals, lacking manpower, test kits and medical resources for diagnosis and treatment. Instead, many were told to go home and self-isolate – some infected other family members, while others died at home without being registered in the Covid-19 death toll.

Underreporting is a problem faced by health authorities in many countries, often due to a lack of capacity and resources. Antibody studies by researchers in other parts of the world also show that coronavirus was more prevalent than official numbers suggest.

For example, a study sponsored by the New York State Department of Health showed that by the end of March, one in seven New York adults had Covid-19 – 10 times more than the official account. In August Gust, another study found coronavirus antibodies in more than 27% of the 1.5 million New York City residents tested.
Wuhan files: Leaked documents reveal China's mishandling of early stages of Kovid-19

But in China, there is also the question of transparency, as officials gave people more optimistic data than internal access.

From February 12, Hubei health officials began to include “cases of medical diagnosis” in the count of confirmed infections. On that day, some 13,000 previously undisclosed “clinical diagnosis cases” in the province were added to the newly confirmed infection, resulting in a nine-fold increase in daily cases from the previous day.
The day before documents from the Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, previously submitted to CTN by a whistleblower, were leaked, officials internally filed “clinical diagnosis cases,” but did not disclose them to the public. Documents show that the Hubei authorities also reported less cases and deaths registered in public on February 10 and March 7, which they reported internally.
Officials have also taunted reporters from citizens who reported on the harsh reality of overcrowded hospitals in Wuhan. On Monday, Zhu Zhan, a former lawyer who documented the outbreak at his height in Wuhan, was sentenced to four years in prison “for picking up the fight and inciting trouble.” Two other independent journalists – Li Zehua and Feng Bin – were also detained for covering their outrage.

Effective control in Wuhan

This study highlights the wide contrast between the broad rates of coronavirus antibodies inside and outside Wuhan.

Huang said the significantly lower rates in other Chinese cities indicate “Chinese control efforts were really quick and effective compared to cities like New York.”

In an unprecedented bid to end the rapidly spreading virus, Wuhan had all flights, trains and buses canceled on January 23 and highway entrances blocked, sealed off from the outside world.

Inside the city, the government imposed a terrible lockdown. For more than two months, public transport in Wuhan was suspended, businesses closed and millions of residents were confined to their homes and residential communities – not even allowed to go out to buy groceries.
Lockdown is being imposed worldwide. Expenses are highlighted in the example of China
However the -76-day lockdown cost residents, especially those who needed to go to the hospital, as all public transport was suspended and not enough taxis were available for patients.

However, the Chinese government has taken action against the move, as it has allowed the country to turn a corner in the fight against the outbreak.

Meanwhile, the Chinese CDC also highlighted China’s victory in the case of the virus when it released the results of an antibody study on Monday.

“The results of the study show that the rate of infection in our country’s population is low. It indicates that China has managed to control the epidemic as the main epidemic with Wuhan, and can effectively control the large-scale spread of the epidemic.” .

CNN’s Nick Payton Walsh contributed to the story.

.

Tags

Designed by Tricksfast Solutions
© Copyright 2024, All Rights Reserved