‘Silent Spreaders’ Could Be Responsible For Half Of Coronavirus Cases In The US
A new study found that so-called "silent spreaders" might be responsible for about half of COVID-19 cases plaguing the country at the moment.
Silent Spreaders To Blame For High COVID-19 Cases
While no one definitely wants to think that they’re slightly responsible for the spread of the coronavirus, most especially those who follow the quarantine guidelines and do their best to stay safe, a new study found that the idea of "silent transmission," where the spread of the virus is from someone who’s showing no obvious symptoms, might be the one to blame behind half of the current confirmed coronavirus cases.
Published this Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study found that transmission via people without any known symptoms (also known as asymptomatic carriers) is a primary driver of the spread of the coronavirus. Furthermore, the study also found that more than one-third of these silent infections need to be identified and isolated if we are to stop another outbreak in the future from happening. This is because, according to the latest data provided by the Johns Hopkins University, 31 states are now reporting much higher numbers of cases this week when compared to last week. Moreover, only four out of all the states are trending down while another 15 are able to hold up and keep the numbers steady.
"We are still knee-deep in the first wave of this. And I would say this would not be considered a wave. It was a surge, or a resurgence of infections superimposed upon a baseline ... that really never got down to where we wanted to go. So it's a serious situation that we have to address immediately," White House Coronavirus Task Force member Dr. Anthony Fauci said during a Facebook/Twitter livestream event held Monday.
What To Do
Well, for one thing, we should believe in the power of face masks even if we don’t show any symptoms at all. Additonally, stay away from crowds even while wearing one and try to limit yourself to only going to outdoor locations with open air. Keep your hands away from your face as well.
