China Changes COVID-19 Case Counting Method Again
[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The Chinese province of Hubei recorded 300 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).
On the 20th, the Hubei Provincial Health Commission (Hubei Health Commission) reported that as of midnight, 108 additional deaths due to COVID-19 occurred in Hubei Province. The number of new confirmed cases increased by 349.
Considering that the Hubei Health Commission announced 1,660 new confirmed cases on the 18th the previous day, this represents a significant decrease. However, a statistical illusion effect partly contributed to this.
Although 628 new confirmed cases were newly added the previous day, 279 cases were removed from the confirmed case list, resulting in a net increase of only 349 cases. In reality, 615 new confirmed cases appeared in Wuhan and other areas the previous day.
This change in statistics is the result of the National Health Commission of China deciding to include clinically diagnosed cases in the confirmed case count only for Hubei Province and then deciding to exclude them again starting the previous day.
With clinically diagnosed cases excluded, a simple comparison is no longer possible, but the number of confirmed cases in Wuhan also appears to be declining. The Hubei Health Commission reported 1,693 new confirmed cases the previous day, but only 615 cases were reported on this day.
The Hubei Health Commission stated that currently 43,745 people are receiving hospital treatment for COVID-19, of whom 9,128 are in critical condition and 2,050 are in serious condition.
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