Wuhan coronavirus death toll jumps 50% after China reviews data

The death toll from the coronavirus surged by 50% in Wuhan, the city where the health crisis first emerged, after Chinese health authorities announced revised numbers.

The number of deaths increased from 1,290 to 3,869, according to a notice from Wuhan officials published by China’s Xinhua News Agency on Friday. The new figure puts the death toll in China at 4,632.

The death toll was revised to include people who had died at home and to correct misreporting by hospitals bombarded with patients, Wuhan officials said. The officials said they double-checked records from medical facilities, crematoriums, and testing data dating back to late March.

China has roughly 83,760 confirmed COVID-19 cases, and 4,636 associated deaths, according to the latest reading from the Johns Hopkins University tracker.

But Beijing has long been accused of underreporting and covering up the number of coronavirus infections and deaths.