The number of deaths from coronavirus in Wuhan has doubled, rising by 1,290 - a 50 percent increase.
According to the latest figures released by authorities in the country, the death toll now stands at 3,869 for Wuhan, the Chinese city which is largely seen as the 'epicentre' of the infection.
The country's official Xinhua News Agency quoted an unidentified member of Wuhan's epidemic and prevention and control headquarters as saying that during the start of the outbreak, 'due to the insufficiency in admission and treatment capability, a few medical institutions failed to connect with the disease prevention and control system in time, while hospitals were overloaded and medics were overwhelmed with patients'.
As reported by New York Times, the state news outlet added: "As a result, belated, missed and mistaken reporting occurred."
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Confirming the number of patients who had died before getting to hospital, as well as late and also inaccurate reporting, the city's task force on virus prevention and control said: "Every loss of life during the epidemic is not just a source of sorrow for their family, but for the city as well. We would like to send our sincere sympathies to the family members."
Elsewhere in China, the total number of deaths reported so far (including Wuhan) stands at 4,632, with 82,692 cases overall where someone has tested positive. It's unknown if any more revisions are yet to be made.
The number of reported cases in the city has gradually declined, leading to lockdown restrictions being relaxed.
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During the 76-day lockdown, Wuhan residents had been allowed out of their homes only to buy food or attend to other tasks deemed absolutely necessary. Some were allowed to leave the city, but only if they had paperwork showing they were not a health risk and a letter attesting to where they were going and why.
Now residents are allowed to go out as long as a mandatory smartphone application - powered by a mix of data-tracking and government surveillance - shows they are healthy and have not been in recent contact with anyone confirmed to have the virus (as reported by AP News).
China took swift measures to ensure the transmission of the virus remains at a minimum, including mass lockdowns, city-wide disinfections and constructing hospitals in mere days.
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Hong Kong University's School of Public Health's head of the division of epidemiology and biostatistics Ben Cowling told the New York Times: "It's very clear that the actions taken in China have almost brought to an end their first wave of infections.
"The question is what will happen if there's a second wave because the kind of measures that China has implemented are not necessarily sustainable in the long term."
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Coronavirus