The downtrend in coronavirus cases in China reversed on Friday after authorities reported hundreds of infections in prisons in Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak.
The national infection figure has yet to be adjusted to account for the 271 new cases in Hubei prisons, causing a discrepancy and some confusion about the total numbers just a day after new infections fell to the lowest in weeks.
Hubei province revised up its daily new infections as of Thursday, from 411 to 631. The revision was made after health authorities received reports of the cases in the province's prisons, although 51 had already been included in the original daily count. Authorities did not change the death toll for the province.
The National Health Commission said there were 899 new cases and 118 new deaths as of Thursday, which – even without accounting for the prison infections – was a sharp increase from the 394 new infections reported a day earlier. The death count on Thursday was 114. The fluctuations show the difficulty in assessing if the epidemic is peaking, according to experts.
Prison outbreaks lead to sackings
Of the 271 cases of infections in Hubei’s prisons, 230 were at the Wuhan Women's jail. Hanjin prison in Shayang county recorded 41 cases. Two prison officials were removed.
Officials have also been sacked in Shandong province, eastern China after hundreds of prisoners in two Chinese jails were infected with the coronavirus, making up nearly a quarter of the 899 new cases of Covid-19 reported on Friday.
According to the Shandong local government, a prison guard at Rencheng jail in Jining city started coughing and showing other symptoms in early February. All 2,077 people held or working at the prison were given the nucleic acid test and, as of Thursday, 200 prisoners and seven prison officers had tested positive for the virus.
More at https://www.scmp.com/news/china/soc...w-deaths-confirmed-hubei-officials-report-411
The national infection figure has yet to be adjusted to account for the 271 new cases in Hubei prisons, causing a discrepancy and some confusion about the total numbers just a day after new infections fell to the lowest in weeks.
Hubei province revised up its daily new infections as of Thursday, from 411 to 631. The revision was made after health authorities received reports of the cases in the province's prisons, although 51 had already been included in the original daily count. Authorities did not change the death toll for the province.
The National Health Commission said there were 899 new cases and 118 new deaths as of Thursday, which – even without accounting for the prison infections – was a sharp increase from the 394 new infections reported a day earlier. The death count on Thursday was 114. The fluctuations show the difficulty in assessing if the epidemic is peaking, according to experts.
Prison outbreaks lead to sackings
Of the 271 cases of infections in Hubei’s prisons, 230 were at the Wuhan Women's jail. Hanjin prison in Shayang county recorded 41 cases. Two prison officials were removed.
Officials have also been sacked in Shandong province, eastern China after hundreds of prisoners in two Chinese jails were infected with the coronavirus, making up nearly a quarter of the 899 new cases of Covid-19 reported on Friday.
According to the Shandong local government, a prison guard at Rencheng jail in Jining city started coughing and showing other symptoms in early February. All 2,077 people held or working at the prison were given the nucleic acid test and, as of Thursday, 200 prisoners and seven prison officers had tested positive for the virus.
More at https://www.scmp.com/news/china/soc...w-deaths-confirmed-hubei-officials-report-411
