An image shared on Facebook claims that two of China’s most populous cities, Beijing and Shanghai, have not documented any cases of COVID-19.

Facebook/Screenshot

Verdict: False

Beijing and Shanghai have reported 587 and 538 coronavirus cases respectively at the time of publication.

Fact Check:

The new coronavirus first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 and has since spread to 184 countries and regions around the world, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.

A viral March 31 Facebook post alleges that two of China’s most populous cities haven’t documented any cases of the new coronavirus, saying, “The corona virus (sic) travelled entire world from Wuhan but it did not reach Beijing and Shanghai.” (RELATED: Viral Image Claims Coronavirus Cannot Spread In Areas With Warm Climates)

That is, however, incorrect. The municipalities of Shanghai and Beijing had reported one and five confirmed COVID-19 cases respectively to the World Health Organization (WHO) by Jan. 20, according to the WHO’s first coronavirus situation report. At press time, Beijing has documented 587 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, per the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center map. Shanghai currently has 538.

According to Johns Hopkins University, China has reported some 82,718 confirmed coronavirus cases and some 3,335 deaths. Worldwide, more than 1.3 million people have been sickened by the new virus and some 78,269 others have died.