China Thought It Had Beaten Coronavirus, But New And Asymptomatic Cases Are Cropping Up

Topline: Mainland China, where the coronavirus outbreak was first detected in late 2019, has seen a rise in new infections as well as confirmed cases among people showing no outward symptoms of COVID-19, figures from local health authorities show.

• Some 39 new cases of coronavirus were recorded on Sunday, 38 of which were imported, and 1 transmitted locally in Guangdong province by somebody who travelled from Hubei province, where the outbreak was first detected.
• The latest figures are up from 30 new cases the day before, and represent the biggest jump in new confirmed cases in mainland China this month.
• China’s National Health Commission also reported a further 78 asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, around half of which were imported, authorities said, up from 47 the day before.
• In a U-turn, the NHC began to include asymptomatic cases at the start of April after not doing so previously. The latest figures show the biggest jump in asymptomatic cases since April 1, when 130 cases were reported.
• CDC director Dr Robert Redfield estimates that as many as 1 in 4 people with coronavirus are asymptomatic, i.e. will not show outward symptoms, but can still pass the virus on without knowing.
• The most common symptoms of COVID-19 include a dry cough, fever and tiredness, according to the World Health Organization, while a sore throat, aches and pains, shortness of breath are also symptoms. Diarrhoea and nausea are less common.

Big number: At least 1.4 million Chinese students are stuck overseas, confronted with travel restrictions as Chinese authorities try to prevent a wave of new infections from abroad. Some 400,000 students are in the U.S., the New York Times reported. 

Key background:China’s new battle is to quell a potential second wave of infections from Chinese nationals returning home from hotspots around the world, and last month temporarily banned foreigners from entering the country. Authorities in China now face a challenge to reopen the world’s second largest economy while fighting to prevent any new cases of coronavirus developing into major clusters.