On Friday, community workers in Laoshan Community in West Beijing's Shijingshan district conduct a range of measures like disinfection, checking temperatures and setting up smart monitors to ensure residents' safety as China's capital faces increasing pressure of imported cases from abroad and returnees from other parts of China. (Photo: Li Hao/GT)

Responding to claims that asymptomatic infection cases could pose risks to China's epidemic situation, the country's top respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan said that China does not have a large number of asymptomatic patients.

In general, the infection rate is very high for those who are in close contact with asymptomatic patients, however, the recent number of newly confirmed cases of the COVID-19 infection in China has not increased, but declined, indicating that China does not have a large number of "asymptomatic patients," Zhong said in an interview with the CGTN on Sunday. 

Regarding the situation of asymptomatic infections in China, there is still very limited information available, and neither specific numbers nor detailed studies have been conducted, Zhong noted. 

Asymptomatic patients are defined as those who have no clinical symptoms but test positive for COVID-19, according to the standard issued by the National Health Commission.

The infectivity of asymptomatic infection could be fairly high, and one asymptomatic patient could infect up to 3.5 persons, Zhong said.

China requires asymptomatic patients to be quarantined for 14 days once they test positive for the virus, even though they are not counted as "confirmed cases" in China. No official data on the number of asymptomatic patients has been reported by health authorities. 

Global Times