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In early June, a COVID news briefing of the World Health Organization (WHO) led to replay the global medical community, whenMaria van KerkhovePhD, responsible for WHO emerging diseases and zoonosis unity, said it's "rare that an asymptomatic person actually transmits [The virus] forward. "The next day, she developed on this comment, saying thatThere is a lot of "unknown" on the transmission of coronavirus. Now a new study published inJAMA internal medicine confirms that asymptomatic individualsareresponsible for the transmission of coronavirus. In fact, theycarry as many viruses like those who feel symptoms.

The study, conducted by researchers in South Korea, aimed to discover if there was a difference in viral loadAsymptomatic and symptomatic covidant patients. Looking at just over 300 people living in isolation in a treatment center, the study determined that, when it comes to the amount of viruses they wear, "the values ​​of asymptomatic patients were similar to those of Symptomatic patients ". As the viral load manufactures still asymptomatic patients capable of infecting others, "the isolation of asymptomatic patients may be necessary to control the propagation of SARS-COV-2," says the study.

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Talk toThe New York Times, Virologist at the University of TuftsMarta Gaglia, PhD, said that the fact that this study has been conducted over a long period in fact a more significant than the one concernedasymptomatic extent. "When they talk about asymptomatic patients, they really know they were really asymptomatic," she said. (Of the 303 patients monitored, 30% have never developed any symptoms.) The doctor who has not been involved in research in South Korea, also stated that, in the light of these conclusions, " There is no real reason to believe in a priori [asymptomatic persons] would all transmit differently "than the coovidant patients who have symptoms.

The southern Korea researchers have discovered that the asymptomatic people were cleared from the virus to the 17th day after the exhibition, while sick patients kept him for two or three more days. However, it is still not clear for how long the infected people exactlyare contagious.

Among the limitations, the researchers noted in their document are the fact that the patients of the study were all young and relatively healthy and therefore do not represent the whole population. In addition, their participants have taken into accountFalse negative test results. Beyond that, the study has not tested the viral load and direct transmission, noting that all participants have been isolated, whether or not symptoms are presented. "We did not determine the role that the loss of molecular viruses played in the transmission of asymptomatic patients," they conclude.

Nevertheless, the results suggest that asymptomatic people are able to infect others, perhaps the same degree as sick patients. In aFacebook live q & a On July 16,Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said: "What we found is that when you measure the level of virus in the nasal pharynx ofasymptomatic people compared to symptomatic peopleThere does not seem to be any difference. Which means there are so many viruses in the nose of a person who is asymptomatic as there is in a symptomatic person. Which means that it is very, very likely, when this person speaks or sneezes or no matter, that sufficient viruses will infect someone else. So there is not much difference in the burden of viruses, even if people can be verydifferent with regard to their symptoms. "

Due to the potential power of asymptomatic propagation, researchers advise that quarantine post-exposure can be essential to the other of the Commission in order to slow the spread of COVID. And for more information on virus variations,That's why Covid kills some people and others are without a symptom, the study says.