A Chinese study on antibodies to the coronavirus, published Monday, December 28, found that almost half a million people may have been infected by the coronavirus in Wuhan. A number ten times the official number. According to this study, the infection rate was also much higher in Wuhan than in neighboring areas. The virus, therefore, would have been contained in the city where the epidemic started.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tested the presence of antibodies in blood serum samples from about 34,000 people, says The Guardian. Tests carried out in Wuhan, other cities in Hubei province, as well as in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai and four other provinces.
The researchers found an antibody level of 4.43% among the population of Wuhan, which is home to around 11 million people. The suggested infection of more than 487,000 people far exceeds 50,354 officially reported cases. The study also shows that antibody levels were much lower outside Wuhan: only 0.44% in other cities in Hubei.
“The survey results show that the population of our country generally has a low infection rate, indicating that the control of Epidemic, with Wuhan as the main battlefield, was successfully and effectively prevented large-scale spread epidemic, “said the CDC. Their findings, added to previous reports, suggest that infection rates in China were higher than reported.
Registering and reporting the number of official cases has been complicated in many countries. In particular in China, accused of lack of transparency and directing to doctors and journalists trying to disseminate information about the epidemic.
Since the end of the 76-day blockade that started on January 23 in Wuhan and other cities in Hubei, life has returned to normal. Health officials reported 27 new cases on Tuesday, December 29, compared with 21 the previous day. They also enacted new travel restrictions before the lunar new year, the most important holiday in the region, including encouraging people to limit meetings.