New research by Chinese officials shows that the number of people infected with nCoV in Wuhan may be 10 times higher than officially published figures.

Research by the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collected biological samples from 34,000 people in Wuhan City, where Covid-19 originated, among other cities in Hubei province.

The researchers found that the prevalence rate of nCoV antibodies among Wuhan's population was 4.43%.

Meanwhile, as of November 27, the city's health officials reported a total of 50,354 CoV infections, 10 times lower than the study's estimate.

The study results also showed the relatively low prevalence of nCoV antibodies among residents outside Wuhan.

The study, conducted a month after China "controlled the first outbreak of Covid-19," was intended to estimate the size of the epidemic in the community by testing serum samples from a group of people, the CDC said.

However, the researchers added that this result is not considered to be the definitive statistics on the number of people infected with nCoV in a particular area.

The research results were posted on the Weibo social network by China CDC on December 28.