Asymptomatic Patients With COVID-19 Shed Virus For About Eight Days, Compared With 19 Days For Those Who Have Symptoms,

reports, “New estimates of the number of asymptomatic people with the coronavirus suggest that ‘silent’ COVID-19 is much more prevalent than once thought – but these individuals may not spread the virus for as long as symptomatic patients do, a study from China suggests.” The report published in JAMA Network Open found “the asymptomatic patients were more likely to be women, and more likely to be younger, in their 20s, 30s and early 40s.” Furthermore, “the researchers found the asymptomatic individuals shed the virus for about eight days, compared with 19 days among those who did have symptoms.” The Hill (5/27, Hellmann) reports the researchers at China’s Wuhan University wrote, “Although patients who were asymptomatic experienced less harm to themselves, they may have been unaware of their disease and therefore not isolated themselves or sought treatment, or they may have been overlooked by health care workers and thus unknowingly transmitted the virus to others.” The authors also “wrote that identifying and isolating asymptomatic coronavirus patients as early as possible is ‘critical to control the transmission of COVID-19. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/asymptomatic-covid-19-cases-may-be-more-common-suspected-n1215481