Experts insist people infected with Covid without symptoms are two-thirds less likely to contract the virus

The fear of silent Covid spreaders who have no symptoms but can transmit the virus to others may have been exaggerated.

A study of nearly 30,000 people found that asymptomatic carriers were 68 percent less likely to transmit the virus than those who were sick.

Issue 10 used concerns about asymptomatic spread to force the British to comply with blockades and wear masks.

They were thought to be responsible for one-third of all infections, and many scientists claimed that asymptomatic patients were just as contagious as sick people.

But a new global study in 42 countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, found that these countries were responsible for only 14% of cases.

They also estimate that the risk of passing the virus to someone else is “about two-thirds lower.”

Covid’s ability to spread asymptomatically is one reason for harsh social restrictions, scientists said.

During one of the national quarantines in January 2021, the government said about a third of people with Covid had no symptoms and urged people to “pretend they have it”.

The risk of asymptomatic people spreading Covid was part of government publications urging people to implement a blockade in January 2021.

The experts analyzed data from 130 studies from 42 countries.

This included 28,426 people who contracted Covid between April 2020 and July 2021.

Of these patients, approximately 12,000 had asymptomatic infections and tested positive on PCR, but without symptoms.

All research includes findings from community screening programs, contact tracing, and investigations of specific outbreaks, such as those on cruise ships.

They found that the “secondary attack rate” that people infected with Covid are likely to pass the virus on to others is 68% lower in asymptomatic cases compared to those with symptoms.

Scientists also estimate that between 14 and 50 percent of Covid infections are asymptomatic.

They said the range was too high because of differences in the methodologies of the studies from which they extracted the data.

But lead author Diana Buitrago-Garcia, from the University of Bern in Switzerland, suggested that their role in the overall transmission of Kovid was minor.

“If both the rate and transmissibility of asymptomatic infections are relatively low, people with asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection should account for a smaller overall percentage of transmission than presymptomatic individuals,” he said.

Co-author Professor Nicola Low, a specialist in social and preventive medicine in Bern, said that while it is clear that asymptomatic cases are less contagious, it is difficult to calculate the true extent of these cases in the pandemic.

“The true rate of SARS-CoV-2 infections is still unknown and it would be misleading to rely on a single number as the 130 studies we looked at were so different,” he said.

“However, people with a truly asymptomatic infection are less contagious than people with a symptomatic infection.”

At the start of the outbreak, the NHS listed only three symptoms of Covid: fever, cough, and loss or change in taste or smell. But it has quietly expanded its list of all the obvious symptoms of the virus, with loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, headache, shortness of breath, fatigue, body aches, sore throat, stuffy or runny nose, and diarrhea added to the list in April.

Another limitation of the ongoing study as more data become available is that it only included studies up to July 2021.

This means, as the authors point out, it does not include data on newer variants of Covid, such as Omicron, which emerged only last November and is milder than previous versions of the virus.

This also means that the sample size includes data before and when vaccines became available in different countries, which could affect results.

Most of the studies included in the study, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, came from Europe and the United States, with 45 each.

The authors also noted the reduction in routine testing, as countries such as the United Kingdom, which have phased out routine pandemic testing, will also impact future research on asymptomatic cases.

Fears of asymptomatic Covid cases spreading the virus unintentionally were part of the government’s move to encourage people to test twice a week in early 2021.

That’s why Health Secretary Matt Hancock said regular testing is one of the best ways to detect asymptomatic cases and protect people.

“About 1 in 3 people have asymptomatic coronavirus, so getting tested regularly is one of the simplest and easiest ways to protect ourselves and our loved ones,” he said.

“I advise everyone to accept the offer and try twice a week.”

The same symptoms of Covid have undergone various changes throughout the pandemic.

At first, British health officials recognized only three symptoms: high fever, cough, and loss or change in taste or smell, signs that someone has the virus, despite up to 14 other countries.

But in April this year the NHS quietly rolled the list to 12, including loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting and headaches, shortness of breath, fatigue, body aches, sore throat, stuffy or runny nose and diarrhea.