New CDC data shows that more than half of COVID-19’s broadcasts come from people who don’t even know they have them.
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 any symptoms.
“It is really a sign that someone’s immune system has not yet responded to the virus entering the body, this is a possibility,” said Dr. Alexa Mieses Malchuk of UNC. “It may be that the person who was tested has not yet developed the symptoms; the other possibility is that the person’s immune system response to the virus is slightly different and may never develop any symptoms ”.
Experts tell us that asymptomatic spread is one of the biggest challenges when trying to slow down spread.
Duke infectious disease specialist Dr. Cameron Wolfe says that this data serves as a reminder that we all need to follow the advice of the medical community.
“That is why masks and distance are so important,” said Wolfe. “You cannot rely on your own symptoms to base your decisions.”
Wolfe stressed the importance of paying attention to what works, washing hands, wearing a mask and keeping a distance. He also recalled that there are no shortcuts to resolve this.
“You cannot test a way out of this problem,” said Wolfe. “We are all tired. Hell, no one is immune to that, but we have to keep moving along that line and these asymptomatic data really prove that point. We need to do better. “