COVID-19: An asymptomatic person can also be a carrier of the novel corona virus (SARS-COV-2)

An asymptomatic person can also be a carrier of the novel corona virus (SARS-COV-2). A new, unpublished study has estimated that around 10 per cent of the infections are being spread by those with no sickness or symptoms. This may be a reason for the rapid spread of novel corona virus disease (COVID-19) worldwide. The paper will appear in the journal 'Emerging Infectious Diseases' in May 2020. The researchers are from various universities in the USA, France, Hong Kong and China. They have studied the trend of silent transmission from Wuhan before a lock-down was enforced on January 22, 2020. The virus has a long incubation period. It takes an average of five days for symptoms to appear in an infected person. Many COVID-19 cases are mild and may be overlooked by health officials for testing. Understanding asymptomatic transmission of the virus could be key to understanding how COVID-19 is spreading.