January 14, 2021
Even without symptoms of the disease, you may still be spreading the virus.
According to a new model developed by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), those without symptoms of the coronavirus transmit more than half of all cases. Fifty-nine percent of all coronavirus transmissions came from people without any symptoms of the virus.
The results of the investigation highlight the importance of following the CDC's advice to limit the spread of the virus, responsible for more than 350,000 deaths in the United States alone. The CDC recommends wearing face masks, washing your hands, social distancing, and getting tested for coronavirus, regardless of whether you feel any symptoms or not.
"Controlling the COVID-19 pandemic is really going to require controlling the silent pandemic of transmission from people without symptoms," said Jay C. Butler, CDC's deputy director of infectious diseases and co-author of the study.
The CDC's recommendations to limit the spread of the virus are crucial, as the emergence of a more contagious variant, first detected in the UK. This new variant appears to be spreading since it was found in several states in the US.
Clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized in December 2020 concluded that the vaccines are highly capable of preventing symptomatic diseases; But those trials did not determine whether vaccinated people can still transmit the coronavirus.
To protect yourself and those around you, remember to follow all the recommendations to contain the spread of the coronavirus.