40% of COVID-19 patients are asymptomatic, a new CDC report claims

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc worldwide. Dismissed as a slight by the world initially, the virus shocked the scientific and medical communities alike, with the rapid rate of spreading. Very little information about the novel coronavirus was available at the initial outbreak, making it difficult to detect patterns and frequencies of occurrence. Soon however, reports of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases started to pour in, which provided a broader perspective on the transmission of this highly contagious disease. While the asymptomatic spread of COVID-19 S remains a matter of confusion, many scientists believe that these patients are contributing to the rapid spread of COVID-19.

Recently, a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that the chances of the COVID-19 transmission from asymptomatic patients stand at 75%. The study also states that around 40 percent of COVID-19 patients are asymptomatic.

As numerous states in the West and South of the US recorded a surge in COVID-19 cases, top health agencies such as CDC and WHO released information regarding the transmission of the virus.

In recent updates, CDC increased the rate of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients from 35%, which was recorded in late May, to 40%. The agency previously estimated that the chance of COVID-19 transmission from asymptomatic patients was 100%.

The report also included an ‘Infection Fatality Ratio’, which measures deaths in symptomatic as well as asymptomatic cases to accurately record ‘disease severity’. Under the new guidelines, the CDC stated that 0.65% of COVID-19 patients are forecasted to die. 

On the other hand, the world’s top agency WHO (World Health Organization) clarified that researchers have not yet determined the chances of COVID-19 transmission from asymptomatic patients. The agency previously suggested that asymptomatic spread is very rare.

The agency also provided details of what an asymptomatic COVID-19 infection is and the different ways in which the term is used. While some cases of COVID-19 are completely asymptomatic, sometimes the term is also used to define patients who have not started displaying symptoms yet, when they are in a pre-symptomatic state, during which people can transmit disease.

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