China revises Covid figures in Wuhan by 50%, death toll mounts to 4,632

China’s coronavirus death toll mounted to 4,632 on Friday after it revised the fatality figures by 50 per cent in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, as Beijing faced mounting international criticism of under-reporting of the Covid-19 data. Citing data discrepancies, the Wuhan municipal headquarters on Friday revised the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases and deaths due to the disease which originated in the central Chinese city in December last year.

As of April 16, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Wuhan was raised by 325 cases to 50,333 and the number of fatalities up by 1,290 to 3,869, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The revised figure raised China’s overall death toll to 4,632. The total number of cases also increased to 82,692.

The Wuhan municipal headquarters in a notification said the revisions were made in accordance with related laws and regulations as well as the principle of “being responsible for history, the people and the deceased.”

Chinese economy shrinks 6.8%; worst since 1976 

China’s GDP took the worst hit since the disastrous cultural revolution in 1976, plummeting 6.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2020, as the country took measures to fight the coronavirus pandemic which brought the world’s second- largest economy to a standstill. China's GDP stood at $2.91 trillion in the first quarter of 2020, down 6.8 per cent year-on-year, its National Bureau of Statistics said on Friday. The figure slightly rebounded from a drop of 20.5 per cent in the first two months, the NBS data said.