Prognosis

Coronavirus Testing in China Finds More Symptom-Free Cases

  • 64% of cases in April displayed no typical signs of Covid-19
  • Spread of virus before symptoms poses challenge for control
Local women dance inside a makeshift barricade wall built to control entry and exit to a residential compound at a community in Wuhan on April 2.Photographer: Getty Images
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Two out of three people who tested positive for coronavirus in China this month had no typical signs of Covid-19, highlighting the challenge of identifying infections and stopping its spread.

Of 181 new infections detected, 115 -- or 64% -- didn’t have a fever, cough or other symptoms used to identify probable cases, according to China’s National Health Commission. The testing was conducted in the 48 hours through midnight Thursday. The agency has 1,027 so-called asymptomatic people under medical observation, 221 of whom have traveled from other countries, it said Friday.