[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] As of the 1st, China announced that the number of asymptomatic infections of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is 1,366. This asymptomatic infection statistic was released in a situation where, excluding cases of overseas reverse importation, almost no new COVID-19 confirmed cases are emerging within China. Until now, distrust has only grown due to deliberate omission of asymptomatic infection statistics, creating the illusion that the situation had calmed down.
On the 1st, the National Health Commission of China announced that as of midnight, there were 36 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 7 additional deaths. Among the 36 new confirmed cases, 35 were reverse importation cases infected overseas and entering China, and only 1 new case was newly infected within China (Guangdong Province). The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in China so far is 81,554.
However, when including asymptomatic infections, which began to be reflected in the statistics from this day, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases balloons like a snowball. The Health Commission announced that 130 new asymptomatic infections were added in one day, bringing the current total to 1,366 asymptomatic infections.
Asymptomatic infections refer to people who test positive for COVID-19 but do not exhibit specific symptoms such as fever, cough, or sore throat. While many countries, including South Korea, include asymptomatic infections when classifying confirmed COVID-19 cases, China had only separately counted asymptomatic infections without publicly announcing them. This made it appear as if the COVID-19 situation in China was rapidly calming down.
The inclusion of asymptomatic infections in the statistics from this day reflects concerns both inside and outside China that COVID-19 is still spreading due to infections caused by these individuals.
The Health Commission stated that it will announce daily reports on asymptomatic infections and publicly disclose management status and other information. According to guidelines, Chinese medical institutions must report asymptomatic infections online within 2 hours of detection and complete epidemiological investigations and registration of close contacts within 24 hours. Not only asymptomatic patients but also close contacts are quarantined in designated accommodations for 14 days and undergo medical observation.
However, criticism has been raised that China's announcement of asymptomatic infection statistics was belated, only increasing distrust in the statistics.
On February 13, when additional confirmed COVID-19 cases were declining, the Health Commission suddenly changed the criteria for confirmed cases by including patients clinically diagnosed through computed tomography (CT) and other methods, resulting in nearly a tenfold surge in new cases compared to usual. This meant that patients who should have been classified as confirmed cases earlier were included in the statistics late. However, as the number of confirmed cases rapidly increased due to the change in criteria, clinical diagnosis cases were excluded from confirmed case statistics again after a week. This reversion in statistical methods created the appearance of a rapid decrease in new confirmed COVID-19 cases in China.
There have also been ongoing suspicions that China has underreported the number of COVID-19 deaths. There are numerous cases where asymptomatic infected individuals died or people died without even receiving proper COVID-19 testing due to a shortage of hospital beds. Ahead of the lifting of the Wuhan lockdown on the 8th of this month, from last week, bereaved families have been allowed to collect the remains of COVID-19 victims at funeral homes. Local media reports indicate that the number of remains handled at eight funeral homes in Wuhan far exceeds the government's announced death toll.
A funeral transport truck driver interviewed stated that he transported about 5,000 remains over two days, on the 25th and 26th of last month. According to the Chinese government’s announcement, since the first infection at the end of last year, 2,535 people have died of COVID-19 in Wuhan. An anonymous official said, "During the chaotic period from mid-January to February, some patients suspected of COVID-19 infection were not included in the official statistics."
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