WHO: Symptomless spread of coronavirus is rare’

Transmission of the novel coronavirus by people who aren't showing symptoms is "infrequent," the World Health Organization said, contradicting a widely held belief among health officials and researchers that the disease was being spread by people who weren't showing signs of illness. Report informs citing the Bloomberg.

"It still appears to be rare that an asymptomatic person transmits onward to a second individual," Maria Van Kerkhove, head of WHO's emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, said at a briefing in Geneva. She said her comment is based on detailed reports of contact tracing from various countries.

More research is needed to confirm the roles that so-called asymptomatic cases and pre-symptomatic cases play in spreading the disease. However, if proven correct, the development could have a significant impact on how health officials and governments approach the pandemic's battle. Uncertainty over how the virus behaves has hindered nations' efforts to re-open their battered economies.

Earlier research sparked concern that the virus would be difficult to contain because of asymptomatic transmission. The New England Journal of Medicine, in an article dated May 28, warned that transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by seemingly healthy people is "the Achilles' heel of Covid-19 pandemic control."