The deadly Covid-19 virus has claimed thousands of lives so far. It is alarming to know that asymptomatic people may be spreading the infection more than those showing signs of coronavirus, while the world continues to battle the deadly virus.
Asymptomatic Carriers More Likely To Spread Covid Infection
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most of the spread is caused by the infected people who aren’t showing any symptoms of the virus.
Researchers from Cornell University found that a majority of individuals aged 60 didn’t show significant symptoms of the coronavirus.
Over 5,000 individuals who had been in contact with a new coronavirus infection were examined for the study.
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Studies have also suggested that in most Covid-19 cases, people show symptoms like fever, coughing and shortness of breath, at least 6 days after contracting the disease. Since, asymptomatic people are unaware that they have been infected with the virus, they unintentionally spread it.
“A significant proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infections occur without symptoms, which infection are often spread by people showing no symptoms,” says CDC.
Another study published in Nature Medicine reported that folks with no symptoms were liable for spreading 44 per cent of the new coronavirus cases.
How Can Someone Spread Coronavirus If They Aren’t Showing Symptoms?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Covid-19 can spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes. This happens primarily due to the respiratory droplets that spray out from a coronavirus patient. But even asymptomatic patients can spread the virus.
“Whether or not the symptoms of infected people are often contagious, and therefore the virus can spread from them to people,” says WHO.
As reported in Aerosol Science and Technology, the virus can also spread through normal exhalations carrying tiny droplets that contain the virus.
Wearing Masks Can Protect Asymptomatic Patients From Spreading Covid-19
As public health officials suggest, everyone should wear masks. It will not only prevent the infection from spreading but also help those affected by the disease.
“Masks are primarily intended to scale back the emission of virus-laden droplets, which is particularly relevant for asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic infected wearers who feel well and should be unaware of their infectiousness to others,” says CDC.
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CDC also recommends wearing cloth masks as they “not only effectively block most large droplets, but they will also block the exhalation of fine droplets and particles (also often referred to as aerosols) smaller than 10 microns.”
They added that “80 per cent blockage has been achieved in human experiments that have measured blocking of all respiratory droplets with cloth masks.”
Not that we would have liked more emphasis on the very fact that the protection of yourself and your family is in your hands, we’ve indeed given you adequate reason to practice necessary precautions, especially wearing a mask in tough times like these. Along with wearing masks, it’s essential to practice other precautions including social distancing.