- A leading Chinese disease-control expert has confirmed that Wuhan’s officials did cover up the scale of the initial outbreak.
- The provincial government said a total of 67,802 had tested positive for the virus as of March 31 while the latest infection figure is 68,135.
- This means Prof Yuen’s finding is 32 times higher than the Hubei government’s number either from March or today.
- China recorded 61 new coronavirus cases on Monday – the highest daily figure since April
Did local officials cover up the scale of the initial outbreak?
Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, who visited the former coronavirus epicentre in January to help diagnose cases, told people farmiliar with the matter that local authorities destroyed physical evidence and provided ‘slow’ response to clinical findings.
‘I do suspect that they have been doing some cover-up locally at Wuhan,’ he said. ‘The local officials who are supposed to immediately relay the information has not allowed this to be done as readily as it should.’
Professor Yuen Kwok-yung (pictured), who visited Wuhan in January to help diagnose cases, told BBC that local authorities destroyed physical evidence and provided ‘slow’ response to clinical findings. The expert inspected the former coronavirus epicentre with medical officials
‘I do suspect that they have been doing some cover-up locally at Wuhan,’ Prof Yuen told BBC in an interview. Pictured, university graduates attend COVID-19 screening in Wuhan on June 11
The renowned microbiologist said in June the real COVID-19 infection number in the former virus ground zero Hubei could be 2.2million, or 32 times the government’s official toll.
In this February 21, 2020, photo, patients rest at a temporary hospital at Tazihu Gymnasium in Wuhan
China has been questioned over alledged COVID-19 figures with President Trump debunking the numbers as blatant lies.
But This is not the first time the Hong Kong expert has questioned the government’s handling over the coronavirus. IMAGE
The 63-year-old microbiologist said in June that the real COVID-19 infection number in the former virus ground zero Hubei could be 2.2million, or 32 times the government’s official toll.
He and his team from the University of Hong Kong announced the finding after analysing samples from Hong Kong people returning from the province, of which Wuhan is the capital.
But their study was condemned by China’s state media outlets, which questioned if Prof Yuen was helping the United States smear Beijing over the pandemic.
How credible is the source?
Professor Yuen was involved in the early diagnoses and investigation of the deadly disease in Wuhan.
He was part of the delegates that visited the city of 11million on an exploratory mission on January 17 on behalf of China’s National Health Commission.
He was accompanying Dr Zhong Nanshan, the leader of Beijing’s coronavirus expert team, as well as George Gao, the head of the Chinese CDC, during the trip.
It was this expert group that confirmed the human-to-human transmission of the virus, leading Wuhan to go into lockdown.
For their study, Prof Yuen and his team collected the blood samples of 452 Hong Kong resident after they returned to the city from Hubei in early March, according to their university.
Their research discovered that 17 of them, or 3.8 per cent, carried antibodies against COVID-19.
After applying the antibody rate to the entire population of Hubei, which stands at 58.1million, the team found out that some 2.2million residents should have caught the bug by early March.
Prof Yuen and his team published their study earlier last month on The Lancet Microbe, an open-access journal.
