WHO: "Secondary Transmission Cases from Asymptomatic COVID-19 Infections Are Rare"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that secondary transmission cases from asymptomatic COVID-19 infections are rare.

On the 8th (local time), according to the US CNN, Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO's Emerging Diseases Team, said at a press conference held at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, "After analyzing the data held by WHO, cases where asymptomatic infected patients transmit COVID-19 to others are very few." She added, "We have received contact tracing data from several countries, but it has not yet been published in the form of academic papers."

Team leader Van Kerkhove stated, "We are continuously analyzing related data produced by various countries and will compile information until we can reach a definitive conclusion." She explained that since COVID-19 spreads through droplets, tracking and isolating infected individuals can significantly prevent its spread.

In this regard, Manisha Juthani, a professor at Yale School of Medicine, explained in an interview with CNN, "Many asymptomatic COVID-19 patients actually show mild or atypical symptoms." Regarding the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that "40% of transmission occurred before symptom onset," she said, "Those patients were not asymptomatic but transmitted the disease during the pre-symptomatic phase." She added, "People who appear to be asymptomatic may actually be showing mild symptoms or be in the pre-symptomatic stage."

'Pre-symptomatic' refers to the early stage of the disease before symptoms actually appear, while 'asymptomatic' means showing no symptoms throughout the infection period.

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