中国、新型ウイルスの無症状感染者数を初公表　１３６７人

【北京ＡＦＰ＝時事】中国は1日、新型コロナウイルスの無症状感染者が1300人以上いることを明らかにした。検査で陽性反応が出ているものの、症状がない感染者をめぐって国民の懸念が高まっており、これを受けて今回初めて無症状感染者数を公表した。（写真は資料写真）
　国家衛生健康委員会によると、無症状の感染者が新たに１３０人確認され、現在計１３６７人が経過観察下にあるという。
　当局は先週末、河南省の女性感染者が、無症状感染者３人と濃厚接触していたと発表。これを受けてオンライン上で、政府に無症状感染者数を公開するよう求める声が殺到していた。
　ＮＨＣは３月３１日、無症状感染者に関する毎日の統計公表を開始し、「国民の懸念」に対応すると説明していた。
　ただし無症状の感染者は臨床症状を示さない限り、公式の感染者数には加算されない。また無症状感染者の累計も、これまでのところ公開されていない。
　中国当局によると、感染が確認された無症状感染者とその濃厚接触者は全員、１４日間の隔離が義務付けられるという。
　専門家らは、無症状感染者にも感染力はあるとみられるとの認識で一致しているものの、無症状感染者からウイルスがどの程度拡散するのかについては、依然明らかになっていない。
　中国の呼吸器系の専門家、鐘南山氏は先週、国営メディアのインタビューで、無症状感染者１人から「３~３．５人」が感染する可能性があると述べている。
　日本や韓国などの多くの国は、確認された感染者数の政府統計に無症状の人も含めている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2020/04/03-13:31）

China on Wednesday said it has more than 1,300 asymptomatic coronavirus cases, the first time it has released such data following public concern over people who have tested positive but are not showing symptoms.
Health officials also reported the first imported case from abroad in Wuhan -- the epicentre where the virus first emerged late last year -- heightening fears of infections being brought into China from other countries.
Of 36 new cases reported Wednesday, 35 were imported from abroad.
The National Health Commission (NHC) said 1,367 asymptomatic patients were under medical observation, with 130 new cases newly added in the last day.
The NHC announced Tuesday that it would respond to public concerns by starting to publish daily data on asymptomatic cases, which it said were infectious.
There were mass online calls for the government to reveal the number of asymptomatic cases after authorities revealed over the weekend that an infected woman in Henan province had been in close contact with three asymptomatic cases.
However, asymptomatic cases are not being added to the official tally unless they later show clinical symptoms.
Historical data on those infected without showing symptoms has not been published.
Beijing has announced a series of dramatic measures to curb arrivals into the country and control imported cases -- including a ban on foreigners entering China and testing those arriving from overseas -- making it easier to determine those who are infected but don't show symptoms.
China says all detected asymptomatic cases and their close contacts must undergo 14-day centralised quarantine.
Experts agree that asymptomatic patients are likely to be infectious, but it remains unknown how responsible they are for spreading the deadly virus.
Chinese respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan said in a state media interview last week that asymptomatic carriers could potentially infect 3 to 3.5 people each.
Many other countries including South Korea and Japan count asymptomatic cases in their national tallies of confirmed diagnoses.
There have now been 81,554 infections in China, with 3,312 deaths -- mostly concentrated in the epicentre of Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province.
The first imported case confirmed in Wuhan, a Chinese national studying in Britain, arrived in the city last week as it starts to gradually lift travel restrictions imposed to control the outbreak.