A new model from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that those who are infected with but show no signs of COVID-19 account for more than half of all coronavirus cases.
The model, published in the JAMA Network Open on Thursday, shows that about 59 percent of all coronavirus cases come from those who are asymptomatic, including 35 percent who are presymptomatic – meaning they initially show no symptoms, but eventually develops them – and 24 percent who never develop signs of COVID-19 symptoms.
The findings of this study suggest that identifying and isolating individuals with symptomatic COVID-19 alone will not control the ongoing spread of SARS-CoV-2, the researchers wrote when describing their findings.
The model supports the preventive measures that experts have recommended for months, such as dressing the face and practicing social distancing.
“The bottom line is the control of the COVID-19 pandemic will really require control of the silent transmission pandemic from asymptomatic people,” said Jay C. Butler, CDC’s deputy director of infectious diseases and co-author of the study. Post. “The Community mitigation tools we have need to be widely used to be able to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in all infected people, at least until we have these vaccines widely available.”
Effective control of the spread of the virus will require reducing the risk of transmission from asymptomatic people and identifying and isolating people with COVID-19 symptoms, the study authors wrote.
The findings suggest that measures such as wearing masks, hand hygiene, social distancing and strategic testing of non-sick people will be key to slowing the spread of COVID-19 until safe and effective vaccines are available and widely used. wrote.