As of Tuesday, there were 1,367 asymptomatic carriers of the COVID-19 virus under medical observation in China, marking the first time data for this group has been publicly disclosed.

According to a notice from the National Health Commission, two previously asymptomatic carriers were designated “confirmed cases” on Tuesday, while another 302 finished their 14-day quarantine periods and were discharged from medical observation. The notice said Tuesday’s figure of 1,367 asymptomatic carriers was lower than the previous day’s total by 174 cases.

The Chinese public has become increasingly concerned about the risk of so-called silent carriers spreading the virus after several recently documented infections pointed to this group as a possible source of infection.

On March 29, the central Henan province reported a diagnosed case of COVID-19 after 30 days of no new infections. By tracking the movements of that patient, authorities were able to identify an asymptomatic carrier. A recent study from the eastern city of Ningbo suggested that asymptomatic carriers of the COVID-19 virus may be just as infectious as sick patients.

The National Health Commission said Tuesday that it will release daily updates on the number of new asymptomatic carriers from April 1. According to the commission, these carriers are mostly being identified through screenings of confirmed patients’ close contacts or investigations of COVID-19 clusters. (Image: Xinhua)