Talk:COVID-19

Asymptomatic spreading

It seems that COVID-19 is often spread by persons displaying no symptoms, making it particularly difficult for people to avoid spreading it. What is the best source for this? Could or should this fact to also in the CDC guidance summary list of key facts about the disease? Or has the CDC not spoken on this? Pat Palmer (talk) 20:50, 13 January 2021 (UTC)

There's an excellent editorial in the BMJ on this by Allyson M Pollock and James Lancaster (2020) https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4851 Asymptomatic transmission of covid-19. BMJ 2020;371:m4851 Key points: 1) Earlier estimates that 80% of infections are asymptomatic were too high and have since been revised down to between 17% and 20% of people with infections 2) It’s unclear to what extent people with no symptoms transmit SARS-CoV-2. 3) Viral culture studies suggest that people with SARS-CoV-2 can become infectious one to two days before the onset of symptoms and continue to be infectious up to seven days thereafter. 4) Symptomatic andpresymptomatic transmission have a greater role inthe spread of SARS-CoV-2 than truly asymptomatic transmission

- However - asymptomatic and presymptomaticpeople may have more contacts than symptomaticpeople (who are isolating), underlining theimportance of hand washing and social distancingmeasures for everyone

Gareth Leng (talk) 12:15, 14 January 2021 (UTC)