Coronavirus infections in Wuhan are 10 times higher than the official figures: Study

Nearly five lakh people, which
is ten times the official tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases, have been infected
with coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan, known as the origin spot of the
infection, says a recent study conducted by the Chinese Center for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC).

The
study used a sample of 34,000 people shortlisted from the general public of
Wuhan and some other cities in Hubei province, as well as Beijing, Shanghai,
and the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangsu, Sichuan and Liaoning.

The
prime aim of the research, conducted in April, is to estimate the scope of
previous infections in a given population through examination of blood serum
samples for antibodies.

The
findings of the observation suggest presence of an antibody with prevalence
rate of 4.43% for COVID-19 among residents in Wuhan, a metropolis of 11 million
people.

The
prevalence rate  of the antibodies outside Wuhan however, is significantly
lower with only 0.44% in residents surveyed in other cities of Hubei.

Meanwhile,
antibodies in residents outside the province were detected only in two people
among the more than 12,000 residents examined.

According
to CNN, the results of the study were revealed in a Chinese
CDC post on social media Monday. It however, failed to mention
whether the study has been published in academic journals.