BEIJING, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- China has stopped publishing data reflecting the number of asymptomatic carriers of the novel coronavirus starting from Wednesday, according to an official with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC).
Currently, COVID-19 nucleic acid testing is carried out mainly under the strategy of "ensuring testing for only those who so choose," explained Li Qun, head of the Public Health Emergency Center of the China CDC.
Many asymptomatic carriers no longer participate in testing and don't need to seek treatment from health institutions, and so it is difficult to accurately grasp the actual number of asymptomatic cases, said Li.
Grassroots medical institutions will guide asymptomatic carriers on health monitoring at home and provide healthcare services for them, said Li.
Li said more efforts will be made to strengthen the monitoring and reporting of patients who seek medical attention at hospitals as well as clustered cases occurring at key venues, including nursing homes, schools and medical institutions, to grasp the scale, scope and severity of the epidemic and the mutation of the virus. ■
