TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China has revised its coronavirus (COVID-19) death toll in Wuhan, where the virus originated, to 3,869, an increase of about 50 percent than the original figure revealed by authorities.

Wuhan's Epidemic Prevention and Control Center said on Friday (April 17) that 3,869 had been killed by the coronavirus – a number that is up 1,290 more than the previous data. Confirmed cases have also increased by 325, which brought the total to 50,333 in the city.

The authorities said the alteration to the death toll resulted from the fact that hospitals had delayed reporting cases or mistaken the figures when the virus outbreak in the city reached its peak. They also said they had included patients that had earlier died at home without being able to be treated in the hospital.

China has reported dozens of new coronavirus cases in the past week, most of which were imported. The country has also recorded only single-digit and even null deaths from the virus in recent days.

However, whether the data reflects the real situation in China remains a mystery, as the Chinese government has more than once revised its coronavirus figures and has excluded asymptomatic patients from its calculations since late March. Videos and photos showing long queues of people waiting to retrieve the bone ashes of their deceased family members outside funeral parlors also sparked speculation that the actual death toll could be higher than the official number.

China has gradually removed lockdowns in Hubei Province, where the capital city Wuhan is, since the end of March. The authorities say they are now concerned about a second wave of the coronavirus caused by people returning from overseas.