TORONTO – A review of 61 studies and reports involving more than 1.8 million people suggests that at least one in three people infected with COVID-19 has no symptoms, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Authors at Scripps Research in San Diego, California have reviewed global studies and reports published through November 17, 2020 – including two major studies in England and Spain – detailing the presence of COVID-19 antibodies in more than a million people has been tested.
The researchers put together 43 studies that used PCR tests and 18 studies that used antibody tests to compare their data.
The data collected showed that at least one-third of the individuals tested positive for the virus but never experienced any symptoms.
Such data underscores the importance of testing asymptomatic people, said Vancouver Infectious Diseases Center medical director, Dr. Brian Conway, on CTV’s News Channel Saturday.
“If we identify groups of individuals for whom the transmission network is unclear, I think there is a role to play in testing larger numbers of asymptomatic individuals to … more effectively disrupt those transmission networks,” Conway said.
It’s a feeling echoed in the study.
“In light of the data presented here, we believe that COVID-19 control strategies should be modified, taking into account the prevalence and transmission risk of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection,” notes the study, adding that As vaccines are rolled out worldwide, “More research will be needed to determine their efficacy in preventing asymptomatic infection.”