SOME HOPE

China Reports No New COVID-19 Deaths for First Time Since Outbreak Began

However, the optimistic report is tempered by continued accusations that China has severely under-reported the extent of its outbreak.

At face value, this looks like good news. China’s National Health Commission has reported no new COVID-19 related deaths for the first time since it started publicly announcing the status of its epidemic in January. The commission also announced just 32 new cases, down from 39 the day before. All of the new cases are said to be imported from abroad. However, the optimistic report is tempered by continued accusations that China has severely under-reported the extent of the outbreak in the country. Beijing has reported just 3,331 deaths and just under 82,000 confirmed cases—way short of what’s been reported in the United States. Meanwhile, restrictions on inhabitants in the city of Wuhan, where the pandemic is believed to have started late last year, are set to be lifted Wednesday.