7 Dec 2022

China allows some Covid-19 cases to quarantine at home

7:53 pm on 7 December 2022

By Ryan Woo

People line up for nucleic acid testing at a temporary Covid-19 testing site on November 30, 2022 in Guangzhou,Guangdong province of China. In many places in Guangzhou, the control of temporary control areas has been lifted, prevention and control measures have been optimized, and large-scale nucleic acid testing has been reduced.

Covid testing in Guangzhou, China Photo: Anadolu Agency via AFP

China's national health authority says Covid-19 cases with mild symptoms or no symptoms can self-treat in quarantine at home, the strongest sign so far that China is preparing its people to live with the disease.

Most cases are asymptomatic infections and mild cases, with no special treatment required, the National Health Commission said in a statement.

"Asymptomatic persons and mild cases can be isolated at home while strengthening health monitoring, and they can transfer to designated hospitals for treatment in a timely manner if their condition worsens," the NHC said.

For nearly three years, China managed Covid-19 as a dangerous disease on par with bubonic plague and cholera, but from last week top officials and some scientists began to acknowlege it as less serious in causing disease.

- Reuters

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