Timely, responsible revision of death figures: China Daily Editorial

The authorities of Wuhan, capital of Hubei province and the Chinese city worst-hit by the novel coronavirus outbreak, revised its statistics on the number of local residents infected by the virus and the number of deaths caused by the virus on Friday — which rose from 50,008 to 50,333, and 2,579 to 3,869 respectively — citing belated, missed and mistaken reporting as the reason for the hikes.

The revision of the city's statistics has instantly swelled the national data, particularly the death toll which has jumped from 3,352 to 4,642.

That Wuhan now accounts for 83 percent of the total number of deaths caused by the virus in the country speaks volumes of the sufferings the city endured during its 76-day lockdown, particularly in the early days when testing kits, sick beds, ventilators and protective gear for medical workers were all in short supply, which put the limited number of medical staff, those infected residents and even the whole city under serious threat from the new virus.

The shortage of nucleus acid test kits in the beginning meant some people died of the virus before it was known that they were infected.

Also, some grassroots clinics were not connected with the public health emergency response system at first, so the possibility cannot be ruled out that some data on the deaths caused by the virus were either reported late or even omitted in some cases.

Now the city has brought transmission under control, it is urgent that the authorities try to establish a clear picture of transmission in the city by immediately checking and rectifying relevant data, as it did with its disclosing asymptomatic case data.

China has tried all it can to ensure the reliability and accuracy of its data, which has been an indispensable reference for decision-making for the country to effectively implement its pandemic control measures.

It is predictable the more accurate data will make the country's already effective tactics against the virus better targeted.

After statistical revision, the death rate of China in the pandemic remains one of the lowest among all the hard-hit countries.

To the China-bashers and those peddling stigmatism against China in the West during the pandemic, it seems that the country's hard-won low death rate is nothing but a proof of its guilt that it has been trying to cover up the truth.

Given the scale and influence of the pandemic, particularly the high infectiousness of the virus that still remains largely unknown, no countries' public health systems, even those in the developed countries, are capable of coping with it.

China's low death rate mainly comes from its decisiveness in locking down first Wuhan, then Hubei province, its strong social mobilizing power that helped it concentrate national resources in the lock downed region, its solid economic foundation that ensures its people's livelihood not be affected too much after the economy was forced to a virtual standstill for days, and its social unity that means people cooperated with the quarantine and social distancing measures introduced, standing together in face of the adversity.

Traditional Chinese medicines have also played an indispensable role in helping prevent many mild cases from deteriorating into critically-ill cases, which has tremendously contributed to the low death rate.

As such, the apparently low fatality rate originates from China's institutional advantages and TCM's special contribution which are both unique to the country, along with the huge sacrifices of the Chinese people, particularly those in Wuhan.

We mourn every life taken away by the virus, and they must not be turned fuel of stigmatism against the country.