China’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a study this week on antibodies against coronavirus among the population of Wuhan. The study, which involved sampling the population and was carried out in mid-April, found that 4.43% of the city’s residents had the antibodies.
Estimated roughly, this means that almost 500,000 of the city’s 11 million inhabitants have contracted the coronavirus, a number that is 10 times greater than that reported by Wuhan health officials.
Experts said the testing hiccups at the start of the pandemic, as well as changing definitions of the disease and asymptomatic spread, could be to blame for the discrepancy in numbers.
Quick Facts
- Study suggests that the number of Wuhan coronaviruses may be 10 times higher than reported
- Asymptomatic spread, test accidents can explain underreported cases
- Wuhan officials have already faced scrutiny about the virus’s schedule
Wuhan officials were examined early in the pandemic for failing to provide information related to the outbreak.
The city’s timeline has worried world leaders about who knew what and why it was not shared immediately in an effort to stop the spread of the virus, which has since infected more than 81 million people.
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