China will now include in its report of confirmed cases those people who are infected with the virus but are showing no symptoms, the asymptomatic cases or silent carriers. The announcement was made after health experts found an alarming rate through which infections spread from asymptomatic people.
On Tuesday night, China reported 1,541 asymptomatic cases who are now under medical observation. The number included 205 cases of infections contracted by carriers from abroad. A Wuhan based virologist, Dr. Yang Zhanqui, estimated that there might be about 200,000 asymptomatic people in China.
Among some tougher measures to be implemented is that local hospitals and clinics should report asymptomatic cases within two hours. These people, along with the individuals who have direct contact with them, should also be centrally quarantined.
The patients will be kept on quarantine for 14 days and their isolation will only be lifted after they tested negative of the coronavirus. The tests should be conducted twice with 24 hours apart. The patients should pass both tests. If they developed COVID-19 symptoms within their isolation period, they will be treated in the same way doctors handle those with symptoms.
The country is now conducting detailed studies to gather more information about silent carriers. One such study, using computer modeling, showed that 86% of infections in China were undetected in the weeks before the government announced total lockdown in Wuhan on January 23. The computer modeling found that silent carriers, which China, did not account for confirmed cases, are as contagious as the confirmed cases. These people are contagious but they have strong immune systems. Their stronger immune systems are the reason they don't exhibit symptoms but can still infect people most especially in the early stage of infections.
Health officials in China decided to focus on silent carriers after doctors warned them that asymptomatic cases can spread the virus. Such was the case in a female patient who had been around with a COVID-19 carrier but without symptoms. She rode the patients' car and three days after she felt COVID-19 symptoms. Two other doctors who had direct contact with the same asymptomatic person tested positive as well.
Some provinces have also started reporting contagion for asymptomatic people. Such provinces included Dezhou in Shandong, Guiyang in Guizhou, and Mianyang in Sichuan.
China now has 82,545 confirmed cases, with only 98 new cases in the past 24 hours. Deaths are at 3,314, with four people dying in the past 24 hours.
The United States and Italy have already surpassed China's total number of cases. Italy now has 101,739, plus new 4,050 cases as of March 31. Deaths in the European country is at 11,591 plus 810 people dying in the past 24 hours.
The US is said to be the new epicenter of the outbreak, with New York State as the "epicenter of the epicenter." The country now has 140,640 confirmed cases, plus 17,987 new cases within the past 24 hours.
