One of the major challenges faced by medical experts while trying to contain coronavirus is the rise of asymptomatic patients. There are several reported incidents where asymptomatic patients, who are known as silent carriers who spread coronavirus unknowingly.
CDC warning on asymptomatic patients
As healthcare workers and lawmakers find it hard to identify and quarantine asymptomatic coronavirus patients, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has now confirmed that more than one-third of the COVID-19 victims will not show any symptoms of the infection.
"An asymptomatic case is an individual infected with SARS-CoV-2 who does not exhibit symptoms during the course of infection. The percentage of persons who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 but never show symptoms of the disease. Asymptomatic cases are challenging to identify because individuals do not know they are infected unless they are tested, typically as a part of a scientific study," wrote CDC in their new guidelines.
The CDC guidelines suggest that 0.4 percent of coronavirus patients will die due to the infection. The report added that patients above the age of 60 are more likely to die due to coronavirus, and the chance of mortality among this age group is 1.3 percent.
Lockdown lifting and the risks posed by asymptomatic patients
It is been almost five months since the first COVID-19 case was reported in the world. As the pandemic advanced like wildfire, many countries including India imposed lockdown to prevent a possible community spread. Even though the number of cases is increasing every day, countries like India have already eased lockdown measures.
Medical experts believe that asymptomatic patients could elevate the risk during this period, as they will spread the infection to others unknowingly. In order to prevent this scenario, the only option is maintaining proper social distancing, and wearing masks. People should also make sure that they are staying away from non-ventilated crowded settings.
