Summary Box  What is already known about this subject?  The Wuhan city in China had a much higher mortality rate (Feb 10th statistics: 748 death/18,454 diagnosis =4.05%, Apr 24th statistics: 3,869 death/50,333 diagnosis=7.69%) than the rest of China.  What are the new findings?  Based on our analysis, the number of infected people in Wuhan is estimated to be 143,000 (88,000 to 242,000) in late January and early February, significantly higher than the published number of diagnosed cases.  What are the recommendations for policy and practice?  Increased awareness of the original infection rates in Wuhan, China is critically important for proper public health measures at all levels, as well as to eliminate panic caused by overestimated mortality rate that may bias health policy actions by the authorities