They Were Infected With the #Coronavirus. They Never Showed Signs. - The New York Times
▻https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/26/health/coronavirus-asymptomatic.html
Asymptomatic carriers are a well-known phenomenon. But the coronavirus is a new pathogen, and these cases may complicate scientific efforts to detect cases and to curb transmission.
“I don’t think there’s any question that someone who is without symptoms and carrying the virus can transmit the virus to somebody else,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“The question is, how prevalent is that phenomenon? Is that becoming an important driver of the outbreaks, or is it an unusual occurrence?”
When asymptomatic carriers are important factors in an outbreak, he said, “you are going to put greater emphasis and burden on testing people.”
At the moment, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allows for testing only symptomatic people who traveled to China recently or those who have had contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus. (Officials have said the criteria may be re-evaluated.)