The World Health Organisation (WHO) says in the last 24 hours China has reported 1,820 laboratory-confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total to 46,550.
Dr Michael Ryan, Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said this in a statement posted on the agency’s website on Friday.
Ryan gave the figures while briefing newsmen on COVID-19 at WHO headquarters in Geneva.
“China reported 13,332 clinically confirmed cases in Hubei province. We understand that most of these cases relate to a period going back over days and weeks and are retrospectively reported as cases, sometimes back to the beginning of the outbreak itself.
“So this increase that you have all seen in the last 24 hours is largely down to a change in how cases are being diagnosed and reported.
“So, in other words, in Hubei province only a trained medical professional can now classify a suspected case of COVID-19 as a clinically-confirmed case on the basis of chest imaging, rather than having to have a laboratory confirmation,” he said
According to him, this allows clinicians to move and report cases more quickly, not having to wait for lab confirmation, ensuring that people get to clinical care more quickly.
“It also allows public health responses in terms of contact tracing and other important public health measures to be initiated.
“You have noticed with suspect cases, there have been some backlogs in testing and this is also going to help ensure that people get adequate care and adequate public health measures can be taken”. (Text courtesy of The Guardian)