For Quick Alerts
ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS  
For Daily Alerts
Oneindia App Download

Undetected cases fuelled fast spread of coronavirus outbreak: Study

By
|
Google Oneindia News

New York, Mar 18: Undetected cases of novel coronavirus, many of which did not show severe symptoms, were largely responsible for the rapid spread of the deadly COVID-19 outbreak in China, according to a study.

The research, published in the journal Science, found that 86 per cent of all coronavirus infections were undocumented prior to the January 23 travel shutdown in Wuhan.

Undetected cases fuelled fast spread of coronavirus outbreak: Study

Scientists at Columbia University in the US noted that per person, these undocumented infections were half as contagious as documented ones.

Coronavirus a product of natural evolution, not artificially made in lab: StudyCoronavirus a product of natural evolution, not artificially made in lab: Study

"The explosion of COVID-19 cases in China was largely driven by individuals with mild, limited, or no symptoms who went undetected," said study co-author Jeffrey Shaman, a professor at Columbia University Mailman School.

"Depending on their contagiousness and numbers, undetected cases can expose a far greater portion of the population to virus than would otherwise occur," Shaman said.

The researchers found that for COVID-19 in China, these undetected infected individuals are numerous and contagious.

These stealth transmissions will continue to present a major challenge to the containment of this outbreak going forward, they said.

The researchers used a computer model that draws on observations of reported infection and spread within China in conjunction with mobility data from January 10-23 and January 24-February 8.

"Heightened awareness of the outbreak, increased use of personal protective measures, and travel restriction have helped reduce the overall force of infection," said Shaman.

Coronavirus: The South Asia roundup and what the West could learnCoronavirus: The South Asia roundup and what the West could learn

"However, it is unclear whether this reduction will be sufficient to fully stem the virus spread," he said.

"If the novel coronavirus follows the pattern of 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza, it will also spread globally and become a fifth endemic coronavirus within the human population," Shaman said.

For Daily Alerts
Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
X