What’s new: China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said it will no longer report asymptomatic Covid infections from Wednesday, citing difficulties in accurately counting the total after the country ended mandatory mass testing.
The health authority announced the change in a statement Wednesday, while disclosing that China recorded 2,291 symptomatic cases Tuesday, almost all of which were contracted from someone inside the country.
The background: The announcement marks a change in China’s long-running Covid reporting system. The NHC had been reporting a tally for asymptomatic cases alongside the number of those with symptoms since April 1, 2020, when China had brought its first major outbreak, centered in Wuhan, under control. At the time, authorities were gradually easing restrictions, but concerns grew that those infected without symptoms could be unknowingly spreading the virus.
The decision to drop reporting asymptomatic cases was made as Covid is sweeping through the country, with most of the recently reported cases being asymptomatic.
Contact reporter Wang Xintong (xintongwang@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)
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