How often do asymptomatic people spread the coronavirus? It’s unclear
Don’t put aside your mask. People who aren’t showing symptoms can pass the coronavirus on to others, experts say, despite a comment from a top global health official that it’s rare and not what is driving the pandemic. Controversy over whether people who don’t have symptoms are infectious arose during a World Health Organization news conference on June 8. “It still appears to be rare that an asymptomatic individual actually transmits [the virus] onward,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead for the COVID-19 response, said. Public health officials should concentrate on finding and isolating people who do have symptoms in order to stop the pandemic, she said. Her statements about the coronavirus’s contagiousness in the absence of symptoms seemed to run counter to public health messages stressing the need for masks and social distancing to prevent people from unknowingly spreading the virus. Sign up for e-mail updates on the latest coronavirus news and research Van Kerkhove walked back her comment in a...