Authorities in China said Wednesday that they will stop counting asymptomatic coronavirus cases as they roll back strict policies to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The decision has been made as from Wednesday people who do not show symptoms will not be tested despite having been in direct contact with infected people.
The Asian giant has been reporting coronavirus cases almost daily for the past three years. However, following a wave of protests over the past week, the government has withdrawn measures such as mandatory testing.
The authorities have now admitted that there are discrepancies between the number of registered cases and the actual number of cases due to the relaxation of these measures, according to the South China Morning Post. «There are still very specific groups and people who want to be tested voluntarily,» said Li Qun, president of the China Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
The country plans to strengthen surveillance of virus monitoring networks in hospitals to track possible outbreaks and mutations. China is experiencing an unprecedented wave of infections after allowing those infected to isolate themselves in their homes rather than in government facilities set up for this purpose.
Several experts have warned that a peak of infections is expected within a month, so the situation could take longer to stabilize. Since the beginning of the pandemic, China has registered more than four million cases and 16,200 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
