Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead, said: '... I used the phrase ‘very rare,’ and I think that’s a misunderstanding to state that asymptomatic transmissions globally is very rare.'
Kerkhove reiterated some of her points in Tuesday’s clarification video, including that some pre-symptomatic cases may have been misidentified as asymptomatic.
Other individuals, she said, may have been misidentified as asymptomatic because they didn’t present common COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath, instead exhibitingKerkhove said much research is being done to determine when someone has COVID-19 and is truly asymptomatic and what proportion of that population actually transmits the disease.
"That's why it's important to avoid people as much as possible, to wash your hands, to wear masks," Tara Smith, a professor of epidemiology at Kent State University. "To prevent you from spreading the virus."Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Dr. Anthony Fauci says WHO's remark on asymptomatic coronavirus spread 'was not correct'The WHO 'walked that back because there's no evidence to indicate that's the case,' Dr. Anthony Fauci says.
Read more »
Astronaut Dr Kathy Sullivan just became the first woman to dive to Earth’s lowest pointDr Kathy Sullivan was not only the first American woman to walk in space, she's now the first woman to reach Challenger Deep, too
Read more »
Road to Recovery: Dr. Sanjay Gupta's coronavirus podcast for June 10The majority of Covid-19 patients will recover, but what does that recovery look like? CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks with a patient about his experience in the weeks since leaving the hospital. Medical experts weigh in on some of the potential long-term health consequences.
Read more »
Viruses like the one that causes COVID-19 have long been Dr. Anthony Fauci's 'worst nightmare'Top public health official Tony Fauci talks about the surprises of COVID-19 and the challenges of fighting it. And he admits he's no Brad Pitt.
Read more »
Covid-19 is Dr. Anthony Fauci's 'worst nightmare'Coronavirus is 'my worst nightmare,' in some ways more than Ebola or HIV, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday. 'Ebola was scary, but Ebola would never be easily transmitted,' Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said.
Read more »
Legendary debate coach Dr. Thomas F. Freeman, who taught MLK, dies at 100Legendary Texas Southern University debate coach Dr. Thomas F. Freeman has died at 100, the university has announced.
Read more »