Chinese media called for no panic, while many doubted that the authorities were hiding information when the number of nCoV infections increased by 10 times.

The Hubei Provincial Health Commission today shocked many people by revealing 14,840 additional positive cases of the corona virus, bringing the total number of local infections to 48,206. The number of new infections is nearly 10 times larger than the day before. The number of deaths was 242 people, more than twice as many as yesterday.

The agency quickly explained that the published data was highly volatile as Hubei changed the method of calculating the number of cases of nCoV. Accordingly, from February 13, clinically diagnosed cases based on the symptoms consistent with Covid-19 and CT scans will be counted in the number of infections, not necessarily with nucleic acid test results. in the lab.

Soon after, Chinese state-run media such as Xinhua and CCTV praised Hubei's new way of counting, and appealed to the people to calm down against the infection many times more than normal.

"This is a realistic and responsible way of calculating", an article posted on Xinhua said. "This method not only accelerates sending patients to hospitals but also promotes disease prevention and control."

On state-run television, a leading group of Chinese government experts explained that the nucleic acid test had produced many false-negative results and the accuracy rate was only 50%.

On Weibo, the topic discussing the rise in new positive cases with nCoV attracted more than 500 million views.

"I think this approach is true of reality. Patients can be diagnosed as quickly as possible, increasing the rate of successful treatment. This method is very good. I hope the disease soon passes," a commenter.

However, some expressed concern that the Chinese government was deliberately lowering the scale of the epidemic, like what it did when the SARS pandemic broke out in 2002-2003. The skepticism was heightened when the National Health Commission of China (NHC) this morning did not release the National Covid-19-related data as nationwide.

Many people leave comments under the NHC's Weibo page, requiring daily data updates.

"Where are the data today? Have you forgotten? The whole country is waiting!", One wrote. "Or because their numbers soared today so they haven't updated?", Others wondered.

Only this afternoon, the NHC said the new number of deaths in the country was 254 and there were 15,152 new infections. Across mainland China, a total of 1,367 deaths, 59,805 infections, and 6,002 were cured.

The World Health Organization (WHO) describes China's decision to expand the definition of nCoV infection as a necessary measure.

"As the epidemic continues to evolve, the definition change is to ensure it can track the disease accurately," Sylvie Briand, director of the WHO Infectious Diseases Management Department, said in a press conference today. now on. WHO officials have previously expressed optimism that the number of nCoV cases in China is "stable," but warned that the virus could still spread anywhere.

Analysts say the new Hubei case method may be an attempt to make the epidemic more transparent, but its immediate impact is to create more suspicion.

"It is still unclear whether the issue is lack of transparency or simply poor health practices," said Sam Crane, a professor of political science at Williams University, Massachusetts, USA.

Yun Jiang, a researcher at the Australian National University, said this could be a "practical method" because Hubei lacks virus testing tools, which are complex and expensive.

Two months after starting in Wuhan, the Covid-19 epidemic killed 1,369 people, two of which were recorded outside of mainland China. There are 60,374 people infected with the virus globally, more than 8,200 people in critical condition and more than 6,000 people are cured.

The largest outbreak outside of mainland China is the Diamond Princess yacht being isolated on the coast of Japan. An additional 44 people have been confirmed positive for the virus, bringing the total number of cases on this ship to 218.