Coronavirus: Chinese data shows 82 per cent of cases are deemed mild, WHO says
- Top US public health official says he has ‘a lot of confidence’ in the data being provided by Chinese authorities
- Global health agency says ‘2 per cent or less than 2 per cent’ of reported cases in mainland have resulted in deaths
An initial analysis of 17,000 coronavirus infections in mainland China shows that 82 per cent of the cases are classified as mild and 15 per cent as severe, and that 3 per cent of patients have developed critical symptoms, the World Health Organisation said on Friday.
Maria Van Kerkhove, the technical lead in the world health body’s emergency programme, said the data obtained from Chinese authorities also showed that “2 per cent or less than 2 per cent” of reported cases have resulted in deaths.
“We know that individuals who are at an advanced age are at a higher likelihood of dying, we know that underlying conditions … make people more at risk,” Van Kerkhove said in the WHO’s daily briefing on the coronavirus outbreak.
Later on Friday, US health officials said they had “a lot of confidence in the Chinese data”, but added that there may be gaps in information because the statistics did not include infected people who did not seek medical attention because they had mild or no symptoms.
More than 31,000 people – mostly in China – have been infected, and all but two of the 638 deaths attributed to the virus have occurred in the Chinese mainland.