Almost Half of COVID-19 Infected Individuals Asymptomatic?

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

Mandatory nationwide lockdowns that caused economic collapse in the US and elsewhere made a bad situation worse.

Sensible social distancing and use of masks in public are policies that work — so continuing them without lockdowns makes sense as long as a serious COVID-19 threat exists.

Increased outbreaks are occurring in a dozen or more reopened US states — most likely because of lax adherence to public safety practices, including large gatherings.

A related issue was raised a Scripps Research analysis published by the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Its data suggest that nearly half (45%) of individuals infected by the SARS-Cov-2 virus that causes COVID-19 disease are asymptomatic.

The WHO walked back from its dubious days earlier claim that asymptomatic transmission of the virus doesn't occur.

It's now saying that it's "looking at this data and…trying to get more information…to truly answer this question."

Asymptomatic can be pre-symptomatic. It can take two weeks or longer for COVID-19 infected individuals to show symptoms.

Some experts believe  asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic individuals could be unwittingly responsible for up to half the spread of the illness, and why containing outbreaks poses a challenge.

A statement by the Harvard Global Health Institute said the following: 

"All of the best evidence suggests that people without symptoms can and do readily spread SARS-CoV-2."  

"(S)ome evidence suggests that people may be most infectious in the days before they become symptomatic — that is, in the pre-symptomatic phase when they feel well, have no symptoms, but may be shedding substantial amounts of virus." 

Founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute/Molecular Medicine Professor Eric Topol said its data show that "(t)he silent spread of the virus makes it all the more challenging to control," adding:

"Our review really highlights the importance of testing. It's clear that with such a high asymptomatic rate, we need to cast a very wide net, otherwise the virus will continue to evade us."

According to Scripps Research behavioral scientist Daniel Oran, worldwide information from various groups compiled into datasets showed they "all…had…a very large proportion of infected individuals (with) no symptoms."

Astonishingly, among over "3,000 prison inmates in four (US) states who tested positive for the coronavirus, the figure was astronomical: 96 percent asymptomatic."

More information from large-scale studies is needed to know to what extent and for how long asymptomatic infected individuals can transmit COVID-19 to others, Scripps said.

According to Oren,"(o)ur estimate of (up to) 45 percent asymptomatic means that, if you're unlucky enough to get infected, the probability is almost a flip of a coin on whether you're going to have symptoms." 

"So to protect others, we think that wearing a mask makes a lot of sense."

Highly contagious COVID-19 most likely will be around for some time. Outbreaks in the US and elsewhere continue.

The risk of larger-scale infections this fall and next winter is clearly possible.

The rage by Big Pharma, the Trump regime, and CDC et al for mass-vaxxing will make a bad situation worse if enough people follow their bad advice.

What's needed are effective drugs to treat the disease, not rushed to market hazardous to human health vaccines.

Evidence shows hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) inhibits coronavirus infections and their spread — why Big Pharma wants the drug falsely discredited as ineffective and dangerous.

Drug companies want nothing competing with a potential profit-making bonanza that awaits from mass-vaxxing — no matter how toxic to inoculated individuals.

People who value their longterm health should refuse to be vaxxed despite fear-mongering campaigns by government in cahoots with Big Pharma to convince them otherwise.

VISIT MY WEBSITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

My two Wall Street books are timely reading:

"How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion, and Class War"

https://www.claritypress.com/product/how-wall-street-fleeces-america/

"Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity"

https://www.claritypress.com/product/banker-occupation-waging-financial-war-on-humanity/