April 22, 2020

Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 26 asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 carriers

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Clinical Characteristics and Health Care Setting

• Pan et al retrospectively analyzed 26 persistently asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 carriers. They reported that 22 cases (84.6%) correlated with clustering occurrence. The median period from contact to diagnosis and the last positive nucleic acid test was 19 and 21.5 days, respectively. This period was found different between patients with atypical chest CT findings and those with typical ground-glass or patchy opacities on CT. 
• They conclude that asymptomatic infections are generally less contagious, can occur at any age and are correlated with local clusters of diseases, but warn that asymptomatic carriers should be recognized as an infection source for COVID-19 patients.

Pan et al. (Apr 22, 2020). Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 26 asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 carriers. The Journal of Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiaa205