Deaths up by 40 per cent as China revises Wuhan COVID-19 numbers

New Delhi, Apr 17: China revised upwards by nearly 1,300 COVID-19 deaths in the first pandemic epicentre, Wuhan, where the virus first emerged.

The addition was reported by state news agency, Xinhua on Friday. This brings the nationwide death toll up by nearly 40 per cent to 4,636. The majority comes from Hubei province where Wuhan is located.

The revision of the numbers came in the wake of several nations expressing doubts over China's claim. This would now bring into question the official numbers that have been released by China.

The authorities in Wuhan also increased the number of confirmed cases by 325. The total number of confirmed cases in Wuhan as on April 16 was revised up by 325 to 50,333. The number of fatalities was up by 1,290 to 3,869.