April 7, 2020 / Carlie Porterfield, Forbes Staff
Topline: China reported no new coronavirus deaths on Tuesday for the first time since the pandemic began, along with a decrease in new cases, just in time for the lockdown on Wuhan—where the virus is believed to have originated—to be lifted Wednesday, after reports that China’s official counts are far lower than the actual number of coronavirus cases.
- For the first time since January, Wuhan reported no new deaths on Tuesday, finally joining the rest of China, which has reportedly seen no deaths since March.
- China counted 32 new coronavirus infections on Monday, a drop from Sunday’s 39 new cases, according to the country’s National Health Commission.
- According to France 24, all of the 32 confirmed new cases involved travelers coming into China from overseas, signalling a new danger for the country.
- Wuhan has only recorded two new coronavirus cases in the past two weeks, according to Reuters.
- The news comes the day before Wuhan’s lockdown is scheduled to be lifted, after about a week of gradual rollbacks on restrictions—Wuhan’s 11 million residents will be able to leave the city for the first time since it was locked down in late January if they are in good health and have a permit, and the city’s trains, flights, highways and buses will resume operations.
- However, Bloomberg reported last week that U.S. intelligence agencies have warned that Beijing’s official coronavirus tallies should not be trusted.
