[ad_1]
LONDON
More than 85% of people who tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the UK had none of the established symptoms of the disease when they were tested, a new study published Thursday found.
The research was conducted by UCL using data from the Office for National Statistics, and found that on the day of their test 86.1% of people infected between April and June did not have any of the symptoms generally associated with the virus, such as coughing. , fever, or loss of taste and smell.
The investigation raised fears of “silent transmission” and highlighted the need for more widespread testing.
“At the moment, the focus is on people who have symptoms, but if you don’t catch everyone who is asymptomatic or presymptomatic, it can be really difficult to reduce flare-ups in time, before they get out of control.” Irene Petersen A professor of epidemiology and health informatics at UCL who led the study, was quoted by The Guardian.
“They can be silent transmitters and they don’t know it. And I think that’s a problem, “he told Sky News.
“It is possible that there are many people who are in society and do not isolate themselves because they did not know they were positive.”
The researchers emphasized that those who tested positive could still have developed symptoms later on, but by then they could have inadvertently transmitted the disease.
The research looked at 36,000 people who were tested for coronavirus between April and June.
Of these, 115 – 0.32% – tested positive, and of those only 27 – or 23.5% – had symptoms of any kind, and 88 – or 76.5% – were asymptomatic.
When symptoms were reduced to the three best known: cough, fever, or loss of taste and smell, the number dropped to 16, or 13.9%, meaning that 86.1% of those who tested positive did not they had the main symptoms.
“There will be a great public health benefit in terms of reducing transmission if we can reliably identify asymptomatic people and then self-isolate,” Patrick Maxwell, director of the Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, was quoted by The Guardian.
The Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news that is offered to subscribers in the AA News Transmission System (HAS), and in summary form. Contact us for subscription options.
[ad_2]
