The relative transmissibility of asymptomatic COVID-19 infections among close contacts

•Asymptomatic transmission of the coronavirus disease 2019 is an important topic.•A recent study in China showed that transmissibility of the asymptomatic cases among close contacts is comparable to that of symptomatic cases.•Here we showed that the conclusion may depend on how we interpret the data...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of infectious diseases 2020-05, Vol.94, p.145-147
Main Authors: He, Daihai, Zhao, Shi, Lin, Qianying, Zhuang, Zian, Cao, Peihua, Wang, Maggie H., Yang, Lin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asymptomatic infection
Asymptomatic Infections
Betacoronavirus
China
Coronavirus Infections - transmission
COVID-19
Humans
Pandemics
Pneumonia, Viral - transmission
Relative transmissibility
SARS-CoV-2
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Summary:•Asymptomatic transmission of the coronavirus disease 2019 is an important topic.•A recent study in China showed that transmissibility of the asymptomatic cases among close contacts is comparable to that of symptomatic cases.•Here we showed that the conclusion may depend on how we interpret the data.•We also reported the asymptomatic case ratio in Hong Kong over time due to a large number of young imported case.•To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time the relative transmissibility of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases is quantified. Asymptomatic transmission of the coronavirus disease 2019 is an important topic. A recent study in China showed that transmissibility of the asymptomatic cases is comparable to that of symptomatic cases. Here, we discuss that the conclusion may depend on how we interpret the data. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time the relative transmissibility of asymptomatic COVID-19 infections is quantified.
ISSN:1201-9712
1878-3511
DOI:10.1016/j.ijid.2020.04.034