- New findings add to the growing belief that asymptomatic carriers can potentially spread the virus just as easily as those with symptoms.
- The new
to study found that it took asymptomatic people 17 days to test negative for the virus after diagnosis, while it took symptomatic people 19 to 20 days. - More research is needed to better understand how much of a role asymptomatic carriers play in outbreaks.
New research from South Korea has found that people with an infection with the new coronavirus who have no symptoms have just as many viruses in their throats, lungs and nose as those who have symptoms.
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Throughout the pandemic, there has been much debate and confusion about the role of people without symptoms, or “asymptomatic carriers.”
Some experts suspect that people without symptoms have caused the new coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2, to spread more frequently in communities.
Other evidence suggests that people with an asymptomatic infection may be less likely to spread the virus, given that they are more likely to sneeze and cough.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that although asymptomatic spread is possible, it is not considered as the main route of transmission.
These new findings add to the growing belief that asymptomatic carriers can potentially spread the virus just as easily as those who have symptoms.
“The study provides more evidence that asymptomatic individuals harbor the virus, but you need to have a mechanism for the virus to pass from one person to another,” Drs. Amesh Adalja, a physician for infectious disease and senior scientist for the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Safety, told Healthline.
More research is needed to better understand how much of a role asymptomatic carriers play in outbreaks.
“It is clear that presymptomatic and asymptomatic transmission takes place in certain contexts, but we do not yet fully understand what regulates this type of transmission,” Adalja added.
The South Korean researchers evaluated 303 young adults with a SARS-CoV-2 infection who were isolated in a communication treatment center.
At the onset of isolation, 193 participants had symptoms – such as cough, sore throat, and congestion – and 110 had no symptoms.
About 19 percent of the asymptomatic participants eventually developed symptoms, while the other 80 percent remained asymptomatic.
The researchers regularly collected nasal and throat swabs from the participants in their complete isolation.
The team analyzed the amount of viral genetic material, known as RNA, on the swabs and determined that the viral load – if the amount of virus in a person’s nose, throat and lungs – was equal, regardless of whether they had symptoms or not.
The research team also found that it took an average of 17 days for asymptomatic people to test negative for the virus after diagnosis. It lasted symptomatic people 19 to 20 days.
It is unclear exactly what the findings mean when it comes to transfer.
The high viral load observed in asymptomatic people may suggest that they can spread the virus just as easily as presymptomatic as well as symptomatic people.
Dr. Michael Lerner, an ear, nose and throat doctor at Yale Medicine, says that if that were the case, asymptomatic people could potentially cause “super-spreading events” in which they unknowingly spread the new coronavirus to several others.
That said, the presence of viral RNA does not necessarily mean that a person carries the virus.
“In fact, about 10 days after initial infection in the majority of patients, the virus becomes less susceptible to viability than being able to transmit it to others,” said Dr. David Hirschwerk, an associate physician of infectious disease at Northwell Health in Manhasset. , New York.
According to Lerner, after the new coronavirus infects our cells, it is reasonable to expect the presence of some remaining viral genetic material.
“The presence of RNA material could represent ‘dead’ genetic material,” Lerner said.
More research is needed to understand the infection of the virus in people who have an infection but have no symptoms.
The important takeaway, says Lerner, is that people with an infection who develop no symptoms at all can unknowingly spread the virus.
According to the researchers, the number of COVID-19 cases can be drastically underreported because tests have focused on symptomatic individuals.
It is challenging to identify people with an infection who have no symptoms.
Those who have no symptoms are unlikely to realize they have an infection and may not strictly adhere to physical distance and isolation practices.
“A false sense of security among those who ‘feel good’ and a consequent lack of compliance with CDC guidelines will certainly contribute to local outbreaks,” Lerner said.
Previous research suggests that asymptomatic people may account for almost half of all COVID-19 cases.
“It is unclear what part of the spread of the outbreak is due to asymptomatic transmission versus because of those with mild symptoms that may not be noticed,” Adalja said.
To contain outbreaks, researchers recommend increasing surveillance and isolation rates among people who have an asymptomatic infection.
In the meantime, it is crucial to continue wearing masks and exercise physical distance to prevent silent transmission.
“This is why it’s so important to use face masks and go through physical distance – and assuming tests are available, there is a low threshold to test,” Hirschwerk said.
New research has found that people with a SARS-CoV-2 infection who have no symptoms have just as much virus in their throat, lungs and nose as those who have symptoms.
Although the presence of viral material in the body does not necessarily mean that the virus is infected, these findings add to the growing belief that asymptomatic carriers can spread the virus just as easily as those with symptoms.
To better control outbreaks, asymptomatic people need to be screened, tested and isolated more frequently.
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