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China adds new symptoms to coronavirus diagnostic list
- Health authorities also warn that discovery of virus in patients’ faeces suggest that it could be another source of transmission
- Virology institute at the epicentre of outbreak applies to use experimental drug in treatment
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China’s National Health Commission has expanded its diagnostic guidelines to help identify patients who have contracted the deadly new coronavirus.
In an updated treatment plan released on Wednesday, the commission also warned that it was investigating whether aerosol and digestive tract infections were transmission modes after traces of the coronavirus were found in patients’ faeces.
The commission added respiratory problems to the list of symptoms for suspected cases. It also expanded the classifications for coronavirus patients from three to four, adding a category for “light” cases.
Those in the “light” category and who exhibit mild symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough or breathing issues but no lung infection must be quarantined and treated to curb the spread of the disease, which has spread to more than 20 countries since the virus was first detected in China about a month ago.
“Some patients show mild symptoms but they are still infectious … that is why we have added the ‘light’ category in this edition of the guidelines,” Li Xingwang, from the commission’s expert panel, said.
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