Do asymptomatic spread it

[Perihell]

Do those positives cases not showing symptoms,as in kids, spread this virus as much as those with symptoms.I’m sort of guessing not so much because they’re not coughing and spluttering so much ,but aren’t they(scientific community) saying it’s caught just by breathing next to someone.

They definitely spread it, this is where the problem with rising cases is. It’s good for those who have covid with no symptoms, but not if they pass it on to a vulnerable person who may not be so lucky.

Yes - people spread it BEFORE they get symptoms.

Take this well-known superspreading event...

I'm not sure, I have seen plenty Covid deniers claim that they don't and quoting the WHO and other studies such as this that say it is not spread by asymptomatic carriers
www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4695

One paper showed that asymptomatic people did spread it, but to a lesser extent ( between 3 and 4 times)

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

The problems are:
People who are presymptomatic won't know, and they are definitely infectious.
It wasn't looking at the new variant.

Looks like asymptomatic (not presymptomatic) people spread it less. One problem is how short the symptom list is in the UK. Someone with fatigue, sore throat and headache definitely isn't asymptomatic but they don't have one of the symptoms on the list.

I would rather we tested for more symptoms especially in children rather than doing asymptomatic screening. Though I think that is useful for carers etc.

That said I was very much against lock downs and in favour of track and trace and an alternative. But sadly I think our numbers are too large at the moment for that.

About 30% of infections come from the presymptomatic phase and 20% from the day you first feel ill. That much is known for adults. What is less clear is exactly how infectious children are or people who never have any symptoms at all. I think the consensus is less infectious but still infectious to some degree.

My sister is frontline nhs, they had a super spreader incident just before Christmas. Woman came in for something unrelated, she was asymptomatic for COVID but they test for COVID anyway routinely. She tested positive, within 5days 12 members of staff were off sick. All tested positive for COVID, all traced back to this one woman, all staff were in full PPE. Many of the affected staff have family members who have since tested positive.

My sister said everyone was amazed, they never had anything like that during previous lockdown and they saw a lot of patients who tested positive. They believe this was the new variant. Just shows someone with no symptoms can have enough viral load to spread it through full PPE.

What the heck! Through masks and visors and everything,that’s very scary.

Where have you been?

@ProfessorPootle - exactly the new variant isn't as per the previous modelling, no-one seems to want to hear that though and just flail around blaming.

@ProfessorPootle that's terrifying. I feel sick to think I was forced to send my kids in to mix at school today (told I was risking a fine, which I couldn't have afforded to pay). I can't see how they can possibly have avoided it if it's that infectious.

I know the new ones changed to infect us better with a smaller amount than before,but honestly not heard a single thing about it literally passing through full PPE.

the problem is, I think, that some people really notice when theyre coming down with something, and other people have to be properly up on blocks before they realise theyre ill.
Many people still drag themselves into work or to places thinking its not actually corona.
I know someone who whilst in tier 2 dragged themselves to work to not let people down, while feeling ill but the symptoms were not corona-ish until later. I dont think thats uncommon