Asymptomatic spread and COVID-19 occupational disease cases-- what does it mean? The WHO caused a stir a few days ago when it released now highly criticized comments that asymptomatic spread of COVID-19 infections is rare. The WHO has since updated their comments to reflect a more nuanced view of the situation.
First, it is important to distinguish between presymptomatic and asymptomatic. Presymptomatic means that someone has the infection, but is not yet showing symptoms. The public health experts indicate that these individuals appear to constitute as much as half of the spread, as they may be infections prior to showing any symptoms, but end up becoming sick, mildly or severely.
This is different from asymptomatic cases, where someone may have the infection but never display any signs or symptoms at any point during the course of the infection. The WHO commentary suggests these individuals do not constitute a significant percentage of the spread.
All of this, however, is largely anecdotal. We are relying on reports of individuals as to whether they were symptomatic or not. There is no testing data to validate these claims.
The bottom line answer for now is we really don't know the true extent of asymptomatic transmission.
From a workers' compensation and personal injury standpoint, this makes safety protocols that would prevent transmission all the more important to avoid infection. If you cannot rely on someone's self-report of symptoms to determine the risk of infection, procedures that safeguard against transmission are a critical barrier against development of the disease.
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