WHO Reverses Itself on Claim that Asymptomatic Transmission of COVID-19 Is ‘Rare’

The World Health Organization made headlines for stating that transmission of coronavirus by infected, asymptomatic people “very rare”—only to clarify hours later that asymptomatic carriers do contribute to spread of the virus. The WHO also acknowledged that more study is needed to understand what role asymptomatic patients play in infecting others. Complicating the issue is a shortfall in health literacy; according to the WHO, many patients mistake the word asymptomatic to mean having only mild symptoms, not being symptom-free.  Further, some patients are presymptomatic, meaning they have been infected but haven’t started exhibiting symptoms yet. The bottom line for urgent care providers is that patients must understand that it’s not necessarily “safe” to dismiss social distancing advice just on the basis of not showing symptoms of COVID-19.