I don't understand how being asymptomatic works

[Witchofzog]

Can anyone please explain this to me. Are you asymptomatic for the time you would have had symptoms or are you a carrier forever?

Just before Christmas my whole office came down with awful respiratory flu including one lady who was hospitalised. It was only myself and a co worker who never caught it despite me sitting next to, behind and opposite people who had it plus sharing toilets and cups. I am not saying this was Covid before it was announced, but it made me wonder about those who don't show symptoms but still test positive. Can anyone please explain this to me?

My understanding is you are infectious for the same length of time as a symptomatic person. They are testing/have tested nhs workers with no symptoms. If they test positive, they have to isolate for 14 days. I’m guessing that is the maximum infectious period.

You have the virus for around the length of time that is typical but are not unwell

The course of the disease is the same as if you had symptoms. So there will be a time when you catch it, an incubation period and you will be infectious for a period of time, then you won't.

Witchofzog I've been wondering the same - so glad you raised the question!! We had three guys in the gym Nov/Dec time who had been ill with a flu like illness and left with awful coughs which they demonstrated on many occasions whilst working out! One of my colleagues was seriously ill with a flu like/coughing illness in January, another had a dry cough that took 3-4 weeks to clear up. I had no symptoms at all.

All these 'exposures' were over 6 months ago so surely that means I can't be asymptomatic still? Or should I be isolating for ever more until I get symptoms just in case?

It's not a delayed reaction. If you were in contact, caught it and we're asymptomatic then your would become infectious at the normal time and clear of it in the normal time just minus the symptoms.

This is the worry isn't it and why masks should be compulsory indoors.

You will test positive if you are asymptomatic but will have no symptoms whatsoever. You could pass it on to anyone.

They have no idea how many people are walking around with it and not knowing. They did announce trialling tests on all shop workers and key workers to see how many could be...

I think the current consensus is that if you’re asymptomatic then if caught you follow the 14 day isolation rules. I’ve seen some discussion around calling for the language to be changed to presymptomatic though because most people do show symptoms of some sort but they are so mild you wouldn’t normally take any notice.

As a slight digression, typhoid Mary (historical super spreader of typhoid - she was a house maid and started off a few outbreaks in the families she worked for) had to be isolated for the remainder of her life once she was identified with other super spreaders. She could have had her gallbladder removed as this was found to be the source of the bacteria that caused typhoid but apparently she wasn’t convinced it would work.

There was some research from WHO that suggested that it is very unlikely for someone to catch the virus from someone who is asymptomatic. They have backtracked a bit now saying that they don’t actually know if that’s the case but most known cases of infection have come from people with symptoms.
Anyway, as PP has said, you could be presymptomatic and infectious so even if asymptomatic people can’t spread it, they would still have to isolate just in case they develop symptoms later

Thank you everyone. I hope to god I am not the next Typhoid Mary. That is terrifying!