Wuhan had ‘10 times as many’ Covid infections than originally reported

A study found that the number of those infected was more than 487,000 - almost 10 times the 50,354 officially reported cases.

Doctors treat a Covid-19 patient in a hospital in Wuhan (AFP via Getty Images)

A study of antibody prevalence in Wuhan found that half a million people could have had Coronavirus, more than 10 times more than initially thought.

The study, conducted by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found that the prevalence of antibodies is far higher in Wuhan, where the outbreak of Covid-19 first occurred, than any other areas.

The study tested for antibodies in blood serum samples from 34,000 people across the central Hubei province, including Wuhan, and also Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Sichuan and Liaoning.

Antibodies signal that an individual once had the infection.

According to the CDC’s findings, the researchers found an antibody rate of 4.43% within Wuhan, with a population of 11 million people. The suggested infection number of more than 487,000 is almost 10 times the 50,354 officially reported cases.

The rate of asymptomatic Covid vases does not yet have a definitive figure, yet may be one reason for why antibody rates are so much higher than positive covid rates.

The British Medical Journal states that between  17% and 20% of people with Covid-19 are asymptomatic.

Asymptomatic cases are not counted in China's official case tally.

The study concluded that, due to the highest proportion of antibodies being in the Wuhan Province, the correct measures were taken within Wuhan to contain the virus and stop it from spreading on a larger scale.

The study is likely to add to questions over the reporting of coronavirus cases in China. Beijing has been accused of a lack of transparency by several countries and this week jailed a journalist, Zhang Zhan, for four years for covering the outbreak in Wuhan. The World Health Organisation is sending a fact finding mission to Wuhan early in the new year.

The last figures from China show that there were 23 positive cases of Covid-19 in the country on 19 December.