Most people with coronavirus may not know they have it, studies find. That’s a problem
It’s possible many people who get coronavirus won’t know they have it, studies say. That could pose a problem.
Health experts have said the majority of people who become infected with the virus will have minor symptoms and most won’t require medical treatment to recover, McClatchy News reports. But that becomes an issue when trying to contain COVID-19’s spread.
A study published in a new issue of Science estimates that during a two-week period in January, 86 percent of cases in China went undetected. Another study published in Eurosurveillance last week found that of the 634 who tested positive aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which saw an outbreak, 328 showed no symptoms.
Additionally, a study done by the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that nearly 81 percent of cases confirmed in China by Feb. 11 were mild and 1.2 percent were asymptomatic.
Idris Elba, who tested positive for COVID-19 and is quarantined, said Tuesday in video posted to Twitter that he hasn’t had symptoms.
While it’s good news that most people who get the virus won’t become seriously ill or need medical treatment, the findings in these studies make containing the spread more difficult.
“Because there are many more of these undocumented cases, it’s the undocumented infections that are driving the spread and growth of the outbreak,” Jeffrey Shaman, an environmental health sciences professor at Columbia University, told HealthDaily.
Health experts told The New York Times that people with minor coronavirus symptoms may think they have a cold or the flu, or may not even know they’re sick, and will continue on with their normal activities.
That means they could be spreading the virus without knowing, which could be especially dangerous to older adults and people with underlying health conditions, who are at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill if infected.
Health experts and officials have recently emphasized the importance of social distancing.
Bars, restaurants and other public places have closed across the country in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, and people are encouraged to stay home as much as possible.
In a news conference Monday, President Donald Trump said people should avoid gatherings of more than 10 people and should not eat in restaurants or go out to bars.
And that goes for everyone.
Although young healthy people are less likely to get seriously ill from the coronavirus, they should still be concerned.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on CNN’s State of the Union that young people are not “immune” from getting seriously ill.
“You can also be a vector or a carrier and even though you don’t get seriously ill you could bring it to a person who could bring it to a person who could bring it to your grandmother or elderly relative,” he said. “That’s why everyone has to take this seriously, even the young.”
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 4:24 PM with the headline "Most people with coronavirus may not know they have it, studies find. That’s a problem."
