Update from WHO-asymptomatic carries NOT likely to transmit COVID

[1ofakind]

Asymptomatic spread of coronavirus is 'very rare,' WHO says

Government responses should focus on detecting and isolating infected people with symptoms, said the WHO's Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove.

www.cnbc.com

"Government responses should focus on detecting and isolating infected people with symptoms, the World Health Organization said. "

Will this be the end of mask mandates and quarantine for healthy presenting people? If this is the case why would there need to be a complete shut down (schools, non-essential businesses, SAH orders) now or in the event of a second wave? Can we trust this from the WHO?

 

[Karl_K]

I trust them about half as far as I can throw them.

 

[AprilBaby]

Agreed

 

[Demon]

I'm not trusting anything right now other than masks and distancing.

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

I think a great indicator is going to be a spike, or no, after the larger volume protests within the next two weeks. If they fail to materialize then it's possible that there will be a push to 'all systems go' as the infection threat will have passed or phased out.
This announcement causes me to be watchful but continue as I have been until data says otherwise.

 

[pearlsngems]

Then there's this recent article, which basically says the opposite:

Nearly Half of Coronavirus Spread May Be Traced to People Without Any Symptoms

A new study found that at least 30%, and more likely 40%-45%, of coronavirus cases could have been spread from people without any symptoms.

time.com

Hopefully at some point the scientists will end up on the same page about asymptomatic spread. In the meantime I will continue to mask/social distance.

 

[Arcadian]

soooooo where's the data? not trusting this RN...

 

[lovedogs]

All of this has to be based on science and data rather than opinion. So if there is scientific data, I'll trust it. Until there are studies/data, I will continue to social distance and wear a mask when I go in public.

 

[OreoRosies86]

Where is the data that says this? I don’t trust this a single bit.

 

[Queenie60]

I don't know who to trust, there's so much conflicting information out there. I will continue to mask and social distance until I can trust information.

 

[lovedogs]

I should edit my comments to say that I trust the WHO, so I certainly am not implying that they are intentionally lying or misconstruing info. However, I am curious about the science behind this. Our knowledge of COVID is rapidly changing based on science and data. So it's entirely possible that this new info is just that--stuff we were wrong about before because we lacked data. But I want to see the science behind it.

 

[1ofakind]

All of this has to be based on science and data rather than opinion. So if there is scientific data, I'll trust it. Until there are studies/data, I will continue to social distance and wear a mask when I go in public.

I am not aware that the WHO is going by opinion...but they’ve been wrong/elusive/deceitful up to this point so I do not automatically trust.

 

[OboeGal]

I do not trust this. We're still in "the fog of war" here, and there is little knowledge about this virus that is definitive. I will continue the cautious course of sheltering at home, and extreme distancing and mask wearing in the rare and unfortunate circumstance of having to be around others not in my home.

 

[PintoBean]

I don't trust myself. I didn't realize how often I stick my fingers in my nose and mouth and eyes and touch my face until covid and mask wearing. I've gone to scratch an itch and poked the mask. So for me, the cost of wearing a mask is low, but the effect is high.

 

[Matata]

This article speaks to the uptick in cases in the US, some allegedly due to the protests. I doubt that all these new cases came from symptomatic people but we do have an opportunity to find out when/if these new cases end up in hospitals and the right questions are asked.

As more Americans head out, 22 states are seeing jumps in new coronavirus cases | CNN

While states lift more restrictions, almost half of US states are seeing higher rates of new coronavirus cases. But the situation would have been much worse had states not shut down, a new study says.

www.cnn.com

 

[Babyblue033]

Wait, didn't WHO change their position on mask recently, saying people should wear them when in public? And now they're saying this? It's hard to trust an "expert" who keeps changing their mind...

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I just bought three super cute handmade masks so I'll be masking on despite any suggestion to the contrary.

 

[kenny]

Wait, didn't WHO change their position on mask recently, saying people should wear them when in public? And now they're saying this? It's hard to trust an "expert" who keeps changing their mind...

Science doesn't "change its mind".
Science updates its position by constantly looking at the latest and best info.

This is a good thing, not bad.

 

[jaaron]

People whose analyses I trust don't seem to think this announcement means what it seems to on the face of it. The gist, as I understand it, is actually that contact tracing has been essentially useless at identifying asymptomatic transmission.

Personally, I'll keep wearing my mask.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1270135499659923458

 

[kenny]

I'm not changing any of my behavior.

Better to be safe than sorry.

But then, I'm not one who gets my jollies by bungie jumping, motorcycles, or skydiving.

 

[lovedogs]

This article speaks to the uptick in cases in the US, some allegedly due to the protests. I doubt that all these new cases came from symptomatic people but we do have an opportunity to find out when/if these new cases end up in hospitals and the right questions are asked.

As more Americans head out, 22 states are seeing jumps in new coronavirus cases | CNN

While states lift more restrictions, almost half of US states are seeing higher rates of new coronavirus cases. But the situation would have been much worse had states not shut down, a new study says.

www.cnn.com

Zero chance the uptick is due to any protests in the last week (I know you weren't claiming that, but I have no doubt that someone will claim it at some point soon). Any uptick we see now is due to stuff from a few weeks ago.

 

[Dancing Fire]

But then, I'm not one who gets my jollies by bungie jumping, motorcycles, or skydiving.

I'm a chicken s**t like you...

 

[the_mother_thing]

This likely stemmed from the W.H.O.’s latest guidance bulletin on Covid-19. Asymptomatic transmission is discussed on 2nd page, and the referenced studies are annotated. https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstreams/1279750/retrieve

 

[kenny]

I'm a chicken s**t like you...

No you're not.
You're a big, strong, brave, macho, manly man.
You've told us you still have often close social contact with family members who do not live in your home, subecting them, and you, to higher risk of getting COVID-19.

... and I'm not chicken shit.
People who buy guns are chick shit.
I'm just rational, and reasonable.

 

[Dancing Fire]

No you're not.
You're a big, strong, brave, macho, manly man.
You've told us you still have often close social contact with family members who do not live in your home, subecting them and you to higher risk of getting COVID-19.

Yes, I'm gonna visit you tomorrow...

 

[kenny]

Yes, I'm gonna visit you tomorrow...

That would be nice, if we weren't in a pandemic.
I even turn down my best-friend/neighbor for visiting suggestions.
She totally understands, being an intelligent, rational, reasonable, and very caring person.

Better safe than sorry.

 

[missy]

I will continue wearing my mask when I am around others. And I will continue washing my hands and social distancing. Masks are not the most important protection against Covid 19 but it can only help so there is little downside to wearing one until we have concrete evidence either way.

Wearing a mask does not mean you stop other safety practices. Masks are an add on- not a substitute.


Interesting article in the NEJM from May 28th 2020. FYI.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2009758

"An important finding of this report is that more than half the residents of this skilled nursing facility (27 of 4 who had positive tests were asymptomatic at testing. Moreover, live coronavirus clearly sheds at high concentrations from the nasal cavity even before symptom development. Although the investigators were not able to retrospectively elucidate specific person-to-person transmission events and although symptom ascertainment may be unreliable in a group in which more than half the residents had cognitive impairment, these results indicate that asymptomatic persons are playing a major role in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2."




There is much we still have to learn about this novel virus so until we know more I, for one, will continue wearing a mask when around others.

 

[Tekate]

Seems you are indeed correct to continue wearing a mask as I am and as most people are.

The W.H.O. walked back an earlier assertion that asymptomatic transmission is ‘very rare.’

snippet:

Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, who made the original comment at a W.H.O. briefing on Monday, said that it was based on just two or three studies and that it was a “misunderstanding” to say asymptomatic transmission is rare globally.

I was just responding to a question, I wasn’t stating a policy of W.H.O. or anything like that,” she said.

Surging Coronavirus Cases Push Latin America ‘to the Limit’ (Published 2020)

The U.S. caseload, already the world’s highest, is approaching two million. A book about the fall of France in 1940 has become a hit during the pandemic.

www.nytimes.com

I will continue wearing my mask when I am around others. And I will continue washing my hands and social distancing. Masks are not the most important protection against Covid 19 but it can only help so there is little downside to wearing one until we have concrete evidence either way.

Wearing a mask does not mean you stop other safety practices. Masks are an add on- not a substitute.


Interesting article in the NEJM from May 28th 2020. FYI.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2009758

"An important finding of this report is that more than half the residents of this skilled nursing facility (27 of 4 who had positive tests were asymptomatic at testing. Moreover, live coronavirus clearly sheds at high concentrations from the nasal cavity even before symptom development. Although the investigators were not able to retrospectively elucidate specific person-to-person transmission events and although symptom ascertainment may be unreliable in a group in which more than half the residents had cognitive impairment, these results indicate that asymptomatic persons are playing a major role in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2."




There is much we still have to learn about this novel virus so until we know more I, for one, will continue wearing a mask when around others.

 

[Niffler75]

Yep, WHO state the issue of asymptomatic transmission is an 'open question' according to the BBC.

 

[Karl_K]

They are a bunch of hacks but what do you expect from bureaucrats cdc has the same problem.