Hamartia Antidote
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2013
- Messages
- 35,188
- Reaction score
- 30
- Country
- Location
https://www.forbes.com/sites/marley...ficial-tally-new-study-suggests/#7feff8433a18
China reported approximately 55,000 coronavirus cases at the height of the country’s first wave in late February, but, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Hong Kong, the actual toll may be closer to 232,000, a finding that furthers evidence that China underreported its caseload.
A man wears a protective mask in a subway sation on April 23, 2020, in Shanghai, China.
YVES DEAN/GETTY IMAGES
KEY FACTS
Between January 15, 2020, and March 3, 2020, China issued seven different benchmarks that defined a coronavirus case, a moving target found to have a “substantial effect” on early case numbers, according to the researchers.
Initially very narrow, each of the first four definitions increased the scope of people considered infected, and had the fifth definition been used from the outset, there would have been four times as many cases reported by February 20, 2020, the study estimates.
The researchers were unable to collect necessary data after February 20 and therefore could not examine the effects of the sixth and seventh versions on estimated case count.
The data comes as tension between the United States and China over the latter’s handling of the virus continues to escalate, with the U.S. casting skepticism over China’s official case numbers and the country’s handling of the crisis in its early stages, including communicating the risk to the rest of the world.
China, which revised its death toll to be 50% higher last week, has only reported 83,000 cases since the outbreak began.
BIG NUMBER
2,647,512. That’s how many confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported worldwide, though mounting evidence suggests the true number of infections is far higher.
TANGENT
It’s likely the United States also underreported its cases. A new report from the New York Times posits that by the time New York City identified its first coronavirus case, the infection had already been spread to thousands. Similarly, scientists recently discovered that the virus had been circulating in California since February, marking its first U.S. fatality on February 6, 2020.
KEY BACKGROUND
China has been heavily scrutinized for its low case count, especially compared to countries like Spain, Italy, France and the United States, which have reported much higher infection numbers despite having smaller populations. Prior to the reconfigured death count, Trump notably said, “Do you really believe those numbers in this vast country called China, and that they have a certain number of cases and a certain number of deaths; does anybody really believe that?” Now, reports are emerging that the United States saw “hidden outbreaks” in February, suggesting the virus arrived earlier and spread farther than previously thought.
China reported approximately 55,000 coronavirus cases at the height of the country’s first wave in late February, but, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Hong Kong, the actual toll may be closer to 232,000, a finding that furthers evidence that China underreported its caseload.
A man wears a protective mask in a subway sation on April 23, 2020, in Shanghai, China.
YVES DEAN/GETTY IMAGES
KEY FACTS
Between January 15, 2020, and March 3, 2020, China issued seven different benchmarks that defined a coronavirus case, a moving target found to have a “substantial effect” on early case numbers, according to the researchers.
Initially very narrow, each of the first four definitions increased the scope of people considered infected, and had the fifth definition been used from the outset, there would have been four times as many cases reported by February 20, 2020, the study estimates.
The researchers were unable to collect necessary data after February 20 and therefore could not examine the effects of the sixth and seventh versions on estimated case count.
The data comes as tension between the United States and China over the latter’s handling of the virus continues to escalate, with the U.S. casting skepticism over China’s official case numbers and the country’s handling of the crisis in its early stages, including communicating the risk to the rest of the world.
China, which revised its death toll to be 50% higher last week, has only reported 83,000 cases since the outbreak began.
BIG NUMBER
2,647,512. That’s how many confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported worldwide, though mounting evidence suggests the true number of infections is far higher.
TANGENT
It’s likely the United States also underreported its cases. A new report from the New York Times posits that by the time New York City identified its first coronavirus case, the infection had already been spread to thousands. Similarly, scientists recently discovered that the virus had been circulating in California since February, marking its first U.S. fatality on February 6, 2020.
KEY BACKGROUND
China has been heavily scrutinized for its low case count, especially compared to countries like Spain, Italy, France and the United States, which have reported much higher infection numbers despite having smaller populations. Prior to the reconfigured death count, Trump notably said, “Do you really believe those numbers in this vast country called China, and that they have a certain number of cases and a certain number of deaths; does anybody really believe that?” Now, reports are emerging that the United States saw “hidden outbreaks” in February, suggesting the virus arrived earlier and spread farther than previously thought.
