Hubei, with new diagnostic criteria,death toll from the virus rises

The sharp increase in cases has important political consequences: the party leader in the province is removed and replaced. At the national level, the infections reach 59,883 and the dead are 1,368. In the rest of the world, 490 people are infected and only one person has died.

Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 coronavirus in Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic, has increased by 13,436 in one day as Chinese health authorities have adopted a new way to diagnose and ascertain the lung infection . Within 24 hours, 242 more deaths occurred in Hubei province, which brings the number of victims to central China to 1,310. At the national level, the infections reached 59,883 and the dead are 1,368. In the rest of the world, 490 people are infected and only one person has died.

In an official statement, the Hubei Health Commission announced that it will henceforth include "clinically diagnosed" cases in its official toll. This means that imaging diagnostics in suspect cases can be considered sufficient to detect the virus, rather than standard nucleic acid tests. In recent weeks there had been criticism of previous diagnostic criteria for coronavirus: these were too strict and experts had asked for the inclusion of CT as a basis for identifying the disease.

The dramatic jump in today's numbers is teh result in the new classification, for a total 13,332 cases and just over half of the new death toll. According to the Commission, the change means that patients will be able to receive treatments "as soon as possible" and be "consistent" with the classification used in other provinces. The surge in the number of coronavirus infections and deaths has had important political consequences. This morning, state media announced that Jiang Chaoliang, head of the party in Hubei province, was removed and replaced by Ying Yong, mayor and deputy chief of the Shanghai party.

• china
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• pneumonia
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• covid-19
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• wuhan
• hubei
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