Asymptomatic spread

[sorenipples]

Hi, I was hoping the mumsnet knowledge base could help me.

My OH has insisted that the evidence shows there is no asymptomatic transmission, therefore if you feel well you present negligible risk to anyone (he also doesn't believe in pre symptomatic spread). For various reasons I can't ask him to show me the evidence, so I was hoping the knowledgeable people on mumsnet could help, especially since I know there are posters here with varied perspectives. I have tried googling and not found anything to support his ascertation.

Many thanks

Eh?

He can’t show you the evidence?!?

I dont want to ask him for the evidence . Trying to keep this covid related, not something for relationships board!

Pretty sure the reason why we are in restrictions is because 1 in 3 people have it without symptoms. I am not aware of any evidence that says if you don’t show symptoms you can’t pass it on.

People with asymptomatic COVID-19 are infectious but might be less infectious than symptomatic cases. However, the problem is that people could be presymptomatic, which is definitely infectious ( whatever he believes!!)

www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32651-9/fulltext

"A mass screening programme of more than 10 million residents of Wuhan, China, performed after SARS-CoV-2 was brought under control, has identified 300 asymptomatic cases of covid-19, none of which was infectious."

However -

The findings cannot be extrapolated to countries where outbreaks have not been brought under control successfully, said the authors of the report...

www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4695

I would just start talking about cats or telly whenever he started those kinds of conversations with me. It's a massive red flag though so I wouldn't be putting up with that for long!

The research is still out on how much asymptomatic cases transmit compared to presymptomatic.

However none of the research is based on the new strain.

Thanks cathyandclare and clavinova. I'd seen the bmj article but not twigged that the wuhan reference was probably what is theory was based on.

Barbie222 the reason I can't just ignore this is that impacts behaviour and so the risk my household and society in general is exposed to. I wanted to check my understanding before pushing back.

I guess clutching at selective reports is a coping mechanism.

Asymptomatic individuals are thought to still transmit the virus but not enough is known regarding how infectious they actually are. They are still infectious but not enough research done to establish how infectious.

A systemic review (a review of data from all the different studies on the subject) from The Lancet:

www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/PIIS2666-5247(20)30172-5/fulltext

It suggests that people are most infectious 2 days before they have symptoms and 5 days after.

So clear evidence of presymptomatic but no evidence of asymptomatic. People just spout the same lines over and over...

Thanks orangenasturtium

2020 (and now 2021) has been a strange year. A year ago I never imagined I'd be reading medical journals to justify why I want to obey the law!

What behaviour change are you trying to achieve? Is someone who has spent 9 months behaving in a certain way going to change because you show him some inconclusive research?

If you can't have a proper converstation with him he's not going to change imho

A presymptomatic person is "asymptomatic" right up until they get symptoms. So feeling fine yourself is no guarantee that you're not infectious.

bobb a Pre symptomatic person would be visibly unwell after 2 days. That’s is different from asymptotic, however it would present as the same to the layman until those 2 days passed IYAWIM

@Atalune

bobb a Pre symptomatic person would be visibly unwell after 2 days. That’s is different from asymptotic, however it would present as the same to the layman until those 2 days passed IYAWIM

That is incorrect. Someone who is presymptomatic has no visible symptoms until they become symptomatic. If they were "visibly unwell' they would have symptoms, ergo they are not presymptomatic.

@PleasantVille

What behaviour change are you trying to achieve? Is someone who has spent 9 months behaving in a certain way going to change because you show him some inconclusive research?

If you can't have a proper converstation with him he's not going to change imho

Ofcourse I can't change his viewpoint, but like many couples with different outlooks on this there are frequent micro challenges on a day to day basis on what I should do. I guess I want validation that I am not completely crazy sticking to the law and guidelines myself.