New research has found that many people have had the coronavirus without any symptoms, which could mean the disease isn’t as life-threatening as once thought.
The country has been on lockdown since the emergence of COVID-19, which has stolen over a million lives around the world. But new research states the virus isn’t fatal as previously thought. The new information shows that there have been more people who have contracted the disease and didn’t show symptoms. With that said, researchers say their main concern is knowing who around you may be infected.
In the last week, reports of silent infections have come from a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, pregnant women at a New York hospital, a Boston homeless shelter, several European countries, and California, NBC News reports. Twenty-five percent of infected people might not have symptoms, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Gen. John Hyten, said a large portion of those cases, as high as 60 or 70 percent, may come from military personnel.
However, Dr. Michael Mina of Harvard’s School of Public Health said due to poor testing Hyten’s numbers can’t be confirmed. Both parties agree the numbers suggest “we have just been off the mark by huge, huge numbers” for estimating total infections, NBC reports. Health officials say the coronavirus brings a person flu-like symptoms, but numerous cases involved no symptoms at all.
