86% of people with coronavirus are walking around undetected, study says

[mystery-ak]

 86% of people with coronavirus are walking around undetected, study says

By Jackie Salo

March 17, 2020 | 10:15am

“Stealth” coronavirus cases are fueling the pandemic, with a staggering 86% of people infected walking around undetected, a new study says.

Six of every seven cases – 86% — were not reported in China before travel restrictions were implemented, driving the spread of the virus, according to a study Monday in the journal Science.

“It’s the undocumented infections which are driving the spread of the outbreak,” said co-author Jeffrey Shaman of Columbia University Mailman School, according to GeekWire.

Using computer modeling, researchers tracked infections before and after the Chinese city of Wuhan’s travel ban.

The findings indicated that these undocumented infections with no or mild symptoms — known as “stealth” cases — were behind two-thirds of the reported patients.

“The majority of these infections are mild, with few symptoms at all,” Shaman said, Mercury News reported. “People may not recognize it. Or they think they have a cold.”

These “stealth” cases were then able to transmit the bug that could cause severe symptoms in other people, according to the researchers.

“It will continue to present a major challenge to the containment of this outbreak going forward,” Shaman said, adding that it underscores the importance of restrictions on movement in hard-hit regions.

COVID-19 has spread across the world to 182,400 people, causing at least 7,100 deaths, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.

https://nypost.com/2020/03/17/86-of-people-with-coronavirus-are-walking-around-undetected-study-says/

[skeeter]

Yeah, this is pretty typical. If this is correct, the mortality rate will probably end up being somewhere around a percent. Tops.

[Cyber Liberty]

Unsurprising.  It would not surprise me if the number is a lot less, either.  We just don't know diddly squat about it right now, St. Paddy's Day, 2020.

[Smokin Joe]

As I have been saying...testing will be generally reserved for those who seek health care. Those who shrug it off as a chest cold or a little bug won't seek care and won't be tested.

The denominator in the moratlity rate is likely orders of magnitude too small.

For this, the Dow is down by 1/3 and commerce is paralyzed. 

[TomSea]

Well, after largely a 3 or 4 day hiatus I did go about with some errands I needed done.

The most relaxed of all places was CVS, I felt comfortable there but I do think most other places had people who were somewhat anxious about all of this, especially the grocery stores.