US CDC: "One in Three COVID-19 Patients May Be Asymptomatic"

People wearing masks on a California beach closed due to COVID-19. Source=Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has newly estimated that one out of three patients infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is asymptomatic.

According to CNN on the 21st (local time), the CDC presented an estimate on its website stating that 35% of infected individuals show no symptoms.

In this notice, the CDC proposed five scenarios based on differences in disease severity and transmissibility. Under the best estimate scenario based on the latest data and scientific knowledge, it is analyzed that 0.4% of symptomatic infected individuals die.

According to the scenarios, the fatality rate rises to 1.3% for those aged 65 and older, while it drops to 0.05% for those under 50. Among symptomatic patients, 3.4% require hospitalization, but the hospitalization rate for those aged 65 and older increases to 7.4%.

The CDC also emphasized that asymptomatic infected individuals transmit the virus to others just as much as symptomatic individuals do. It estimated that in the most severe scenario, 1% of symptomatic patients would die. Conversely, in the least severe scenario, the fatality rate among symptomatic patients is expected to fall to 0.2%.

However, the CDC explained, "These scenarios are intended for public health preparedness and planning purposes and are not predictions or estimates of the impact of COVID-19," adding, "These figures may change as research on COVID-19 progresses."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.