Jan 26, 2021
Is it time to change control strategies?
One-in-three SARS-CoV-2 infections appear to be asymptomatic and nearly three-quarters of people without symptoms who receive a positive PCR test will remain asymptomatic, findings from a newly published research review suggest.
Writing in
Medicine, investigators Eric J. Topal, MD, and Daniel P. Oran of Scripps Research Translational Institute, La Jolla, California, noted that the review findings make a strong case for altering control strategies for Covid-19 to better account for asymptomatic transmission risk.
“Frequent, inexpensive, rapid home tests to identify and contain pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic cases along with government programs that provide financial assistance and, if necessary, housing to enable infected persons to isolate themselves may be a viable option,” they wrote. “And as the first generation of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is deployed, more research will be needed to determine their efficacy in prev