Death rate from SARS revised upwards

IN Hong Kong, health officials revised the territory’s SARS death rate to 7.2% of all reported cases, from about 5%. Officials fear it may rise further.

The Health Department has been reporting the number of deaths divided by the number of cases, but some doctors have questioned this formula, saying some people already in hospitals would die and push numbers higher.

Four more people died in Hong Kong, bringing the toll to 109, the government said on Thursday.