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Latest Prevention & Wellness News<\/h3>\n
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FRIDAY, Sept. 25, 2020 (HealthDay News)<\/p>\n
People who have COVID-19<\/a> but no symptoms have the same amount of virus in their nose and throat as those with symptoms and may play a major role in spreading the disease, a new study reveals.<\/p>\n The researchers compared levels of SARS<\/a>-CoV-2 in 213 people in South Korea who tested positive for the virus.<\/p>\n Their symptoms ranged from none to severe, including fever<\/a>, chills<\/a>, muscle pain<\/a>, fatigue<\/a>, runny nose<\/a>, blocked nose, loss of taste or smell, sore throat<\/a>, swallowing difficulties, cough<\/a>, phlegm<\/a> production, coughing up blood<\/a>, headache<\/a>, dizziness<\/a>, loss of appetite<\/a>, nausea<\/a>, vomiting<\/a>, abdominal pain<\/a> and diarrhea<\/a>.<\/p>\n The patients were admitted to a care facility for isolation and monitoring.<\/p>\n Before isolation — an average of six days after the first swab test — 41 patients (19%) hadn’t developed any symptoms. Of those, 39 had another nose and throat swab test an average 13 days after their initial diagnosis.<\/p>\n Of 172 patients with mild symptoms, 144 also were retested. The final analysis included 183 patients in all.<\/p>\n Fifty-four percent of patients without symptoms tested positive for SARS<\/a>-CoV-2, as did 64% of those with mild symptoms. There was no significant difference in the viral load between the two groups, the researchers said.<\/p>\n The findings were published online Sept. 22 in the journal Thorax<\/i>. Sung-Han Kim of Asan Medical Center, Songpa-gu in Seoul, South Korea, led the study.<\/p>\n “Considering that most asymptomatic individuals with COVID-19<\/a> are likely to go unnoticed by health care workers and continue to reside within communities, such individuals may act as an essential driving force for the community spread of COVID-19<\/a> and the ongoing pandemic state,” the study authors concluded.<\/p>\n Until it’s known how infectious people without symptoms are, and for how long, testing should be extended to certain groups as a precautionary measure, the researchers recommended in a journal news release.<\/p>\n “Our data add further support to the general public use of face masks, regardless of the presence of symptoms, and suggest that the scope of SARS<\/a>-CoV-2 testing should be expanded to include asymptomatic individuals in high-risk settings, such as nursing<\/a> homes or health care facilities,” Kim said in a podcast that accompanied the findings.<\/p>\n — Robert Preidt<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div>\n![\"MedicalNews\"](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/images\/HealthDay\/healthday.png\")
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