China’s virus death toll revised up sharply after review

BEIJING (AP) – China’s official death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has jumped sharply. The hardest-hit city of Wuhan announced a major revision that added nearly 1,300 fatalities.

The new figures result from of an in-depth review of deaths during a response that was chaotic in the early days. The revised numbers push up China’s death toll to 4,632.

The higher numbers are not a surprise. It is virtually impossible to get an accurate count when health systems are overwhelmed at the height of a crisis.

The increase also confirms suspicions that many more people died in China than had been previously reported.