Most new infections in Jilin involve mild symptoms

Jilin province reported 1,810 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the total tally to more 20,000 in the recent outbreak that began in late February, according to the Jilin Health Commission.

Of the confirmed cases, more than 10,000 were reported in Changchun.

Jilin also reported 791 asymptomatic carriers on Wednesday.

"More than 98 percent of the confirmed cases are patients with mild symptoms," said Zhang Li, deputy director of the provincial Health Commission, at a news conference on Thursday. "As of Wednesday, 1,303 confirmed cases and asymptomatic carriers have been discharged from the hospital or quarantine."

The province will continue to strengthen testing to screen infected people as early as possible, the commission said.

"Transmission in the recent outbreak of the Omicron variant is insidious and fast, with strong contagion," said Wang Ao, deputy director of the provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Contact the writer at zhouhuiying@chinadaily.com.cn