A single index asymptomatic player who participated in the Major League Baseball matches in Philadelphia in end-June spread the virus to 20 other players of his team and to one employee of team B. Frequent testing helped identify players infected with virus days before they started showing symptoms. Among the 19 of 21 persons with … Continue reading How an asymptomatic caused a super-spreading event
Asymptomatic cases
Over 12% of pregnant women presenting at 15 hospitals in Maharashtra infected with coronavirus
Of the 1,140 pregnant women presenting at 15 hospitals in Maharashtra, 141 were found to be infected with novel coronavirus, translating to 12.3% prevalence. Pooled data of 141 pregnant women and 180 women from Nair Hospital in Mumbai revealed that only 11.5% of those infected showed symptoms, while the remaining 88.5% were asymptomatic.
Children have more coronavirus during early infection phase than hospitalised adults
Researchers found that children infected with novel coronavirus have viral load comparable with adults admitted to ICUs. But during the early infection phase, children can have significantly higher viral load than COVID-19 adults in ICUs. Viral load decreases over time in children. Age of children did not have any impact on viral load. Researchers Massachusetts … Continue reading Children have more coronavirus during early infection phase than hospitalised adults
COVID-19: Saliva is a viable alternative to nasopharyngeal specimen in asymptomatic persons
In a mass-screening study of 1,924 asymptomatic persons, self-collected saliva samples had sensitivity (92%) and specificity (over 99.9%) comparable to nasopharyngeal specimens — sensitivity 86% and specificity over 99.9%. The true concordance probability between the nasopharyngeal and saliva tests was estimated at 0.998. In a mass-screening study of 1,924 asymptomatic persons using nasopharyngeal and self-collected … Continue reading COVID-19: Saliva is a viable alternative to nasopharyngeal specimen in asymptomatic persons
SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell immunity prevents recurrent severe COVID-19 disease
The immune system elicits robust, broad and highly functional memory T cell responses once a person is infected with novel coronavirus. T cells were found even in the absence of detectable antibodies specific to SARS-CoV-2. This indicates a previously unanticipated degree of population-level immunity against COVID-19. Natural exposure or infection with the novel coronavirus may … Continue reading SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell immunity prevents recurrent severe COVID-19 disease
Asymptomatic people carry same amount of coronavirus as those with symptoms
A study has found that people who are infected with novel coronavirus but don’t exhibit symptoms carry the same amount of virus as those who are symptomatic. The study also found that many people with coronavirus infection can remain asymptomatic for a “prolonged period”. One of the reasons why containing novel coronavirus spread is challenging … Continue reading Asymptomatic people carry same amount of coronavirus as those with symptoms
An asymptomatic superspreader in China transmits coronavirus to 71 people
One more instance of a superspreader spreading coronavirus to 71 people in China has been documented. The superspreader continued to remain asymptomatic for over a month after arriving in China and spreading the virus. Many instances of a single person spreading novel coronavirus to dozens of people have already been documented. People who spread the … Continue reading An asymptomatic superspreader in China transmits coronavirus to 71 people
With coronavirus cases continuing to rise, it’s too early to open gyms
The government has permitted gyms to open from August 5 at a time when daily fresh coronavirus cases in India remain high and the virus is spreading to smaller cities and towns. Zumba classes in a South Korean city and clusters from gyms in Japan have shown how intense physical exertion in closed settings with … Continue reading With coronavirus cases continuing to rise, it’s too early to open gyms
Antibodies against coronavirus start to decrease in 2-3 months, study finds
The study found IgG levels and neutralizing antibodies started to decrease within two-three months after infection with novel coronavirus. The reduction was more (40%) in the case asymptomatic individuals than symptomatic individuals (nearly 13%). A few countries, including UK, were toying with the idea of issuing some form of a certificate to people who have … Continue reading Antibodies against coronavirus start to decrease in 2-3 months, study finds
Substantial coronavirus spread seen before symptoms show up
A study published in Nature Medicine found that people infected with novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) start shedding the virus two-three days before symptoms show up. Studying 77 pairs of infector-infectee pairs, the researchers estimate that 44% of secondary infected people can spread the virus even before symptoms show up. In a study published recently, researchers found that … Continue reading Substantial coronavirus spread seen before symptoms show up
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