Up to 80% of COVID-19 Infections Are Asymptomatic, a New Case Report Says

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

In one cruise-ship coronavirus outbreak, more than 80% of people who tested positive for COVID-19 did not show any symptoms of the disease, according to a new paper published in the journal Thorax.

The research shows just how prevalent asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19 may be—a reality that both suggests official case counts are drastic underestimates, and emphasizes the importance of practicing social distancing even if you feel healthy.

Researchers have known for months that asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19 is possible and common, but without population-wide testing, it’s been difficult to estimate how many people get infected without showing symptoms. The new paper provides an example of how widespread asymptomatic transmission can be, at least in a contained environment.

The (unnamed) cruise ship in the new paper left Argentina in mid-March, with plans to travel around the Antarctic Peninsula and over to South Georgia Island in the south Atlantic ocean. All passengers were checked for coronavirus symptoms before departure, and people who had traveled through COVID-19 hotspots were not allowed on board.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/up-to-80percent-of-covid-19-infections-are-asymptomatic-a-new-case-report-says/ar-BB14GB3y?ocid=NL_ENUS_D1_20200528_2_2

[rocktivity]

1. And why wouldn't they be? It's the reason why staying home hasn't worked

What's the difference between infecting your loved ones at home and infecting strangers you pass on the street if you DON'T know that YOU'RE infected! New Zealand solved their problem by mass testing and proper quarantining on the front end; America must do the same before everyone's immune systems are weakend.


rocktivity

[John Fante]

3. The stay-at-home ordinances are the reason we have a six figure

death toll and not seven. They've been highly effective.

[lostnfound]

2. I'm skeptical that it is that high.

Seems like a message that will be used to say it’s not really such a bad disease and we can’t control it and should just open everything up.

[Igel]

4. I'm skeptical too, because only because it's an outlier figure.

But there's no reason to want it to be a disease worse than it is,. Many sound like they resist any information that says it's not as lethal as they fear.

If it's not that dangerous, there's no reason not to open things up. (But, since I've only said it once and anything said once might not as well have been said at all, I think it's more dangerous than this OP would suggest. But still not, as some have grotesquely said, a "extinction-level event".)