WND 5/29/2022
Lockdowns, masks based on assumption not supported by scienceBack in June 2020, the World Health Organization's top infectious disease epidemiologist caused a stir when she said coronavirus transmission by asymptomatic individuals is "very rare."
A day later, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove walked back her statement, saying there had been "misunderstandings."
However, scientific studies have supported her clear initial statement, and newly published research of nearly 30,000 people across 42 countries has found asymptomatic carriers are about 68% less likely to pass the virus on than those who get sick, DailyMail.com reported.
The fear of asymptomatic spread is one of the primary reasons for the COVID-19 lockdowns and mask mandates. Many health officials believed they accounted for up to a third of all infections, with some scientists claiming asymptomatic patients were just as infectious as the sick.
But the study, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, found asymptomatic carriers were responsible for as little as 14% of cases. And the estimated overall risk of passing the virus to someone else was about two-thirds lower, the researchers said.
Lead author Diana Buitrago-Garcia of the University of Bern in Switzerland said the role of asymptomatic carriers of the virus in overall COVID transmission was minor.
More:
https://www.wnd.com/2022/05/study-undermines-alarm-asymptomatic-covid-spread/