One in four coronavirus patients is asymptomatic, the CDC director says
As many as 25 percent of people with coronavirus are asymptomatic, according to CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield (pictured at the White House, March 22)
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says as many as one in four coronavirus patients in the U.S. are asymptomatic.
Dr Robert Redfield said NPR this probably explains how cases continue to spread across the country, even if strict social distance measures are taken.
In the U.S., there are more than 189,000 confirmed cases of the virus, but numbers are much higher, according to federal health officials.
Redfield’s comments come when the CDC is considering changing its guidelines about who should wear a mask to everyone, not just doctors and nurses.
‘One of the [pieces of] information that we have now virtually confirmed is that a significant number of infected individuals remain asymptomatic. That could be as high as 25 percent, ”said Redfield.
“That’s important, because now you have individuals who may not have symptoms that can contribute to the transmission, and we learned that they actually contribute to the transmission.”
In fact, the CDC director said asymptomatic people can shed the virus for up to 48 hours before symptoms appear.
Several reports have been released from diagnosed patients who said they did not have a cough, fever, or shortness of breath.
Redfield warned that the virus will be “with us” in the next 24 months, and it is with Dr. Anthony Fauci of the NIH agrees that there will be a second wave in the fall. Pictured: Redfield (right) speaks to Fauci (left) on Capitol Hill, March 12
The CDC is considering issuing new guidelines that all people, not just those who are sick and health professionals, wear masks. Pictured: Church member and messenger Sandra Lockhart, who is also a nurse, takes fellow Member Brandy Floyd’s temperature as she arrives for worship at Union Springs Baptist Church in Ruteldge, Georgia, March 29
In the US, there are more than 189,000 confirmed cases of the virus and more than 4,000 deaths. Photo: EMTs take a sick patient to a waiting ambulance in New York City, March 28
A 26-year-old man in Guangdong, China, became infected after coming into contact with someone from Wuhan, where the virus came from.
A report in the New England Journal of Medicine reveals that he tested positive on days 7, 10 and 11 after contact, but had no symptoms on any of those days.
He had large amounts of the virus in his nose and throat, despite feeling fine.
Donovan Mitchell, an NBA player at Utah Jazz, also said he had never experienced symptoms before testing positive.
Because of these anecdotes, the agency is considering advising the general public to wear masks when they go outside.
In the past, officials have emphasized that only people who are sick or are health workers wear masks.
But because of the new data, Redfield says “this is critically reassessed.”
Redfield warned that the virus will have some effect on daily life over the next 24 months.
He also agrees with Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, that a second wave is coming.
“This virus will be with us. I hope we get through this first wave and have some time to prepare for the second wave, ”he told NPR.
“I hope that the private sector, in its ingenuity and in collaboration with the government, NIH, will develop a vaccine that will ultimately change the impact of this virus.”
Several vaccines are currently under investigation, but these will likely not be available for another 12 to 18 months.
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