New CDC data show that more than half of COVID-19 transmissions come from people who don’t even know they have it.
A new model shows that 59% of all transfers come from asymptomatic carriers. This includes 35% of people who were pre-symptomatic and 24% who never developed symptoms.
“It is indeed a signal that one’s immune system has not yet responded to the virus’s entry into the body, this is a possibility,” says UNC Dr. Alexa Mieses Malchuk. “The person who has been tested may not have developed symptoms yet, the other possibility is that people’s immune system’s response to the virus may be slightly different and may never develop symptoms.”
Experts tell us that asymptomatic spread is one of the biggest challenges when trying to slow down the spread.
Dr. Cameron Wolfe, Duke’s infectious disease expert, says the data reminds us to follow the advice of the medical community.
“That’s why masks and distance are so important,” Wolfe said. “You can’t rely on your own symptoms to base your decisions.”
Wolfe stressed the importance of not working, washing hands, wearing a mask and keeping your distance. He also reminded that there are no shortcuts to go through this.
“You can’t test your way out of this problem,” Wolfe said. “We are all tired. Heck, no one is immune to that, but we have to keep pushing that line, and these asymptomatic data really proves that. We have to do better. “