People are getting back on track
China`s national health and health commission website released its first case of asymptomatic infected people in china on march 31 after a week of public and media follow-up. As a result of the recent outbreak of new cases in overseas regions, the scale and transmission of asymptomatic infected persons have become the focus of prevention and control in China and Hong Kong in the near future. Both China and Hong Kong have taken severe measures to prevent venereal disease cases of imported cases from causing community outbreaks. But is it easy to avoid input?
According to the website of the National Health and Health Commission of China, as of 24:00 on March 30,2020, there were 1541 asymptomatic infections mainland China received medical observation, of which 205 were imported abroad. and from 1 April
Daily release of asymptomatic infected persons. It is worth noting that, in addition to the 205 cases imported abroad, there are 1,336 cases in China, which is more than six times the number imported abroad.
Scale of asymptomatic infections
An asymptomatic new coronavirus infection refers to those who have no clinical symptoms (such as fever, cough, sore throat, etc.), respiratory tract and other specimens of new coronavirus etiology or serum lgM antibody test positive. According to a recent study by HKU and Guangdong Province at the end of March, Stealth patients (asymptomatic infections) may account for 40% of the total number of infections. A decade earlier, an article published on march 20 in nature (Nature), the world`s leading academic journal, said mild or asymptomatic infections could account for 60 per cent of all new coronavirus infections. As of March 31, the cumulative number of people diagnosed with the new crown virus in China was about 82000, and 760000 people worldwide outside China were diagnosed.
The scientific and medical community is constantly studying the spread of asymptomatic infections
The Hong Kong Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Carrie Lam, announced on March 17 that all persons entering Hong Kong from foreign countries must undergo compulsory quarantine or medical surveillance on the 14th from 00:00 on 19th. Many overseas students and workers returned to Hong Kong during the open-window period of the policy without compulsory quarantine or medical observation.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong`s School of Medicine, Respiratory Department Professor Xu Shuchang told the Hong Kong media on March 28 that 1 per cent of patients who returned to Hong Kong were positive for the virus, while about 70,000 people who did not have to undergo compulsory quarantine before March 19 were presumed to be infected by the virus and to around the community. About 700 asymptomatic infections, calculated by mr xu, were pre-dated march 19th for the new entry policy. The number of asymptomatic infected persons from 23 January to 17 March who found the first confirmed case in Hong Kong is unknown.
In China`s current epidemic disclosure mechanism, asymptomatic infected people only report to the internal disease control, not to the public. But calls for China to disclose data on asymptomatic infections are rising.
China`s media report says there is still hope for public disclosure of data on asymptomatic infections. Prior to april 1st, according to china`s outbreak disclosure mechanism, asymptomatic infected people only reported to the disease control unit internal report not to the public.
Transmission of asymptomatic infections
According to the results of the essay study published in the Chinese Journal of Epidemiology, vol .41,2020, the infection rate of close contact with confirmed cases was 6.3% and that of asymptomatic patients was 4.11%. The study was reported by the Chinese media, First Finance, on the topic of "No difference between the infection rate of asymptomatic infected persons in the new crown and those diagnosed with it ".
Chinese media quoted zhang wenhong, head of the shanghai team of experts on medical treatment of new crown pneumonia, as saying at a conference on march 27 that his team had found patients asymptomatic from head to tail, but that the virus`s seroprevalence would last three weeks. An asymptomatic infection means that a significant number of people can control the virus very well through their own immune function, unlike SARS, which can cause severe illness and death., Zhang explained
Zhang Wenhong said two important things now, one is to block foreign input, the other is the rapid establishment of the hospital system. "The biggest risk now is input risk. Are the hospital systems ready when these people return? "
On March 26, the previous day, the Chinese Premier of the State Council chaired a meeting of the leading group on central response to the outbreak of new pneumonia on March 26, Li Keqiang 3, stressing that "great attention should be paid to the prevention and treatment of asymptomatic infected persons. "
The Chinese media, First Finance and Economics, called "There is no difference between the infection rate of the asymptomatic infected person in the new crown and the confirmed person"
At present, many regions of China focus on prevention and control of overseas imports, requiring overseas returnees to carry out a mandatory 14 days of isolation prevention and control policy. On the other hand, when the focus of prevention and control is on the prevention of overseas cases, the recent occurrence of asymptomatic infection cases in China. China`s Henan Province on March 28 circulate a notice said the diagnosis of a new crown patient. The patient had three meals with an asymptomatic infected person. On March 27, a patient with thyroid disease was admitted to a hospital in Jingmen City, Hubei Province, and on March 28, the result was nucleic acid test, and the result was a new crown pneumonia positive test, diagnosed as asymptomatic infection.
Zhong Nanshan, head of the high-level expert group of China`s National Health and Health Commission, told the media recently that there are no large numbers of "asymptomatic infected people" in China. If any, he believes, these asymptomatic infections will certainly spread the virus to others, making China`s new crown pneumonia confirmed a higher number.
But in fact, the number of newly diagnosed people in china has not risen in recent years, but has declined, while the number in some provinces is already zero, thus inferring that the number of asymptomatic infected people in china is not high.
China`s domestic skeptics believe that the provinces to resume work there are cases of underreporting, mandatory zeroing of the number. Second, according to China`s current seventh edition of the National Health and Health Commission diagnosis and treatment recommendations, asymptomatic infections are not included in confirmed cases.
Chinese netizens have expressed concern at the Weibo of social platforms after the release of data on asymptomatic infected people in China, and hope that the statistical work will go further and include asymptomatic infected people in confirmed cases. A netizen comments :" how can ability determine oneself is asymptomatic infected person? Is a nationwide census possible? Strangely worried. Some asymptomatic infected people may not know themselves, finally became the source of infection, how to do? "
Another said :" The detected asymptomatic infection is not included in the confirmed case! Failure to publish aggregated statistics is a lack of accountability to the people of the world. "
How are individuals protected?
Wuhan Health and Health Commission, in response to how individuals prevent the risk of infection caused by asymptomatic infection, said that for the general population, wearing masks, keeping distance, washing hands frequently, not gathering and other measures are the most effective means of protection.
The top academic journal Nature recommends social alienation for both mild and asymptomatic infections. Dr Leung Chiu-wai, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, said the outbreak was a "marathon" protracted battle that could last for 18 months and called on the public to be resilient and to "bite the root to remain socially distant until remain socially distant until
