"2547 Deaths, 5000 Urns" Testimony... Wuhan, China Suspected of Underreporting COVID-19 Deaths

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Shinwon Yoon] Allegations have been raised that the number of deaths from COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, the suspected origin of the novel coronavirus, has been underreported.

On the 31st (local time), the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that a truck driver recently testified that he transported about 5,000 urns of ashes over two days starting from the 25th, which is roughly double the officially reported death toll of 2,547 in Wuhan.

Additionally, a photo was released showing over 3,500 urns piled up at a funeral home in Wuhan.

Since last week, Wuhan city has allowed families to collect the ashes of COVID-19 victims from eight funeral homes in the city. Since the lockdown was imposed on January 23, Wuhan residents had been unable to retrieve even the ashes due to fears of infection.

Various Chinese media outlets have raised suspicions that the death toll in Wuhan was underreported. It is possible that those who showed suspected COVID-19 symptoms but were not confirmed, or those who died without receiving hospital treatment due to a shortage of beds, were omitted from the count.

SCMP supported the allegations of underreporting by citing an anonymous Wuhan city official who testified, "From mid-January to February, during a chaotic period, some patients suspected of COVID-19 infection were not included in the official statistics."