Norms for the Management of Asymptomatic COVID-19 Carriers

索 引 Number:000014349/2020-00029
Subject category:卫生、体育\卫生
Issuing Organ:State Council Joint Mechanism for the Prevention and Control of the Covid-19 Epidemic

Document date:2020年04月06日
Title:    国务院应对新型冠状病毒感染肺炎疫情联防联控机制关于印发新冠病毒无症状感染者管理规范的通知
Release Number:国办发明电〔2020〕13号
Release date:2020年04月08日

Article 1: These norms are drafted on the basis of the "P.R.C. Law on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases" and the "P.R.C. Border Health and Quarantine Law" so as to strengthen efforts to discover, report, and manage asymptomatic carriers of Covid-19.

Article 2: Asymptomatic carriers of Covid-19 (hereinafter "asymptomatic carriers") refers to those who have no related clinical manifestations, such as fever, cough, sore throat or other symptoms or indications that they can perceive themselves or that can be clinically identified, but who have respiratory tract and other such specimens that test positive for Covid-19. Asymptomatic carriers fall into two types of circumstance: First is those that after 14 days of isolated medical observation, have no symptoms or indications that they can perceive themselves or that can be clinically identified; and the second is those that are in an 'asymptomatic carrier' state during the incubation period.

Article 3: Asymptomatic carriers are contagious and pose a risk of transmission.

Article 4: Strenthen the monitoring and discovery of asymptomatic carriers: First, is active testing during the period of medical observation for those who have had close contact with Covid-19 cases; Second is active testing during the epidemiological investigation of clusters; Third is active testing of exposed populations in the course of tracing the sources Covid-19 cases; Fourth is active testing of persons who have stayed in foreign or domestic areas with sustained transmission of Covid-19; and Fifth is discovering persons during epidemiological investigations and opportunistic screening.

Article 5: Standardize reporting of asymptomatic carriers. All levels and types of medical institutions discovering asymptomatic carriers shall directly report them online within 2 hours. After county-level epidemic control bodies receive a report the discovery of an asymptomatic carrier, they are to complete an investigation into that case within 24 hours, promptly register those who have had close contact, and promptly send the case investigation form or investigation report up through the Infectious Disease Reporting Information Management System. After asymptomatic carriers are released from centralized medical observation, the health institutions shall promptly indicate the date of release from medical observation on the Infectious Disease Reporting Information Management System.

Article 6: Strengthen information disclosures. The State Council department for health administration is to publish a daily regarding reports, outcomes, and management of asymptomatic carriers. Each province (or autonomous region or directly-governed municipality) is to publish on that administrative regions' situation, with local and imported transmission tallied and reported separately.

Article 7: Strengthen management of asymptomatic cases. Asymptomatic carriers shall be under centralized medical observation for 14 days. Those that manifest clinical symptoms or indications of Covid-19 during this period are to become confirmed cases. Those who have been under centralized medical observation for 14 days and have had two consecutive nucleic acid tests return negative (with at least 24 hours between the collection of samples) may be released from centralized medical observation, but those with not clinical symptoms who still have positive nucleic acid tests are required to continue centralized medical observation.

Article 8: If asymptomatic carriers develop clinical manifestations during the centralized medical evaluation period, they shall be transported immediately to a designated medical establishment for treatment, and reevaluated after diagnosis.

Article 9: Those who have had close contact with asymptomatic carriers shall be put under centralized medical observation for 14 days.

Article 10: Organize groups of experts to make rounds of asymptomatic carriers in centralized medical observation to promptly discover potential confirmed cases.

Article 11: Continue medical observation and follow-up visits with symptomatic carriers released from centralized medical observation for 14 days. In the second and fourth week after release from centralized medical observation, follow up visits should be made at designated hospitals to promptly learn about their health status.

Article 12: Increase the extent of targeted screening, expanding the scope of testing to include those in close contact with discovered cases and asymptomatic carriers. Do a good job of strengthening testing of key regions, key populations, and key venues, putting asymptomatic carriers under centralized isolated medical observation once they are discovered.

Article 13: Asymptomatic carriers are marked by concealed transmission, subjective symptoms, and being difficult to discover, and the state supports epidemiological and other scientific research into the contagiousness and transmissibility of asymptomatic carriers.

Article 14: Strengthen information communication, exchanges, and cooperation with the WHO and other national and international organizations to adjust diagnostic and treatment plans and prevention and control plans at appropriate times.

Article 15: Each area should increase the force of publicity on Covid-19, guiding the public in scientific protections, carrying out widespread training, and increasing the capacity and level of basic-level medical personnel and community workers for prevention and control.