In a surprising development, the CDC has found that people who do not have any covid symptoms account for close to 60% of all coronavirus transmission. The model developed by CDC researchers showed that about 35% of transmission came from presymptomatic people, and about 24% did not develop any symptoms at all during the infection.
People Without Covid Symptoms Account For Majority Of Virus Transmission
On the whole, about 59% of all the virus transmission came from people without symptoms. The study suggests that by using precautionary measures like washing hands, using masks and maintaining social distancing can help to reduce the spread in a big way. It is interesting to note that such trends were observed even during the early days of the pandemic in some European nations.
Several youngsters who ignored the covid pandemic in the early months of 2020 attended football matches and gathered in large numbers in bars and restaurants. Such events later became super-spreaders in the European region, and it saw a huge rise in covid cases soon after such events. The public health care collapsed for some time due to the huge surge in cases, and the countries entered lockdown at a later stage.
The interesting data from such events is that most of the patients were in the middle-aged or elderly citizens who did not attend such sports events. On the other hand, many youngsters who attended the events did not get sick due to covid 19. It was clear that youngsters often did not show many symptoms, and they were instrumental in spreading the disease to other vulnerable people in the family and community.
Similar trends were seen even in the US when college parties became super spreaders during April and May 2020. When you look at the fatalities due to covid 19, it is evident that it does not have many people from the college community. In this regard, the reckless behavior of youngsters resulted in a huge surge in cases in the rest of the community. Due to the irresponsible behavior of such people, the elderly people and others who are at risk of catching the infection suffered a lot during the pandemic.
Yet another reason why asymptomatic people spread more than those with symptoms is also explained by doctors. Health experts say that when someone is having covid 19 symptoms, other people around the person are usually cautious and use a mask or maintain social distance. However, when the person does not have any symptoms, most people do not feel the need to wear masks or maintain social distance during personal interactions and family gatherings.
In this manner, many people are unknowingly spreading the coronavirus to others in the community and putting their lives at risk. For this reason, the CDC has recommended everyone to use masks and practice social distancing irrespective of their age and health conditions.
As of now, the covid 19 vaccines are not tested for young people under the age of 18. This is also an important issue that needs to be addressed in the near future as schools and colleges are all set to open shortly in the next few months. Unless a vaccine is available for kids, it is difficult to reopen the schools in a safe manner.
Health experts have warned that people should wear masks and maintain social distance during public gatherings in order to avoid the transmission of the virus in the community. Even though some people may not have symptoms, they may be infected, and this is a threat to the other people in the community. It is essential to safeguard yourself and people around you by using masks and taking other precautionary measures.