A new guide from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 40 percent of people infected with COVID-19 are asymptomatic and the likelihood of transmission from people without symptoms is 75 percent.
In an updated guide also reported by CNN, the agency expanded its “best current estimate” based on data from the end of last month to increase the rate of people infected with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic from 35 percent, which was reported late May, to 40 percent
The agency previously estimated that the chance of transmission of the virus from asymptomatic people was 100 percent, CNN reported.
The new report also included an “infection death rate,” which counts deaths in symptomatic and asymptomatic cases to more accurately capture “disease severity.”
Under the new metric, the CDC estimated that 0.65 percent of people infected with COVID-19 are forecast to die.
As several states in the southern and western United States recorded significant increases in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, major agencies, including the CDC and the World Health Organization, have released updated information on transmission. of the virus.
The WHO raised concern about the ease with which the virus can spread on July 9, when it first identified that the coronavirus can be transmitted through aerosols, which can remain airborne for several feet, Hilary Brueck of Business previously reported. Insider.
The updated data came after hundreds of scientists and engineers drafted an open letter to the WHO demanding that it change its stance on transmission, which had said the virus was spread by much larger and heavier droplets, and falling through the air. faster than aerosols.
Asymptomatic carriers are also of particular concern to officials faced with plans to reopen schools. US school districts and pediatricians have expressed concern about the reopening amid spikes in cases in their states and CDC’s extensive safety guidelines, despite pressure from the administration of President Donald Trump.
Although children have been identified as having a lower risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19, the CDC has said that they can function as asymptomatic carriers of the virus and can pose risks to vulnerable populations, Connor Perrett of Business Insider previously reported.
US Surgeon General Jerome Adams said Sunday that despite record increases in coronavirus cases, the US could change new coronavirus infections in two to three weeks if “everyone complies with its part “in complying with official prevention recommendations.
“So, as we’ve seen cases skyrocket, we can change this in two to three weeks if we can get a critical mass of people covering their faces to practice at least six feet of social distance, doing what we know to be effective “Adams said.
This article was originally published by Business Insider.
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