ABOVE: FLICKR, UNITED STATES MISSION GENEVA
The World Health Organization’s technical lead for coronavirus response, Maria Van Kerkhove, said at a press briefing on Monday (June 8) that asymptomatic transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was “very rare.” On Tuesday, Van Kerkhove clarified at a follow-up Q&A session on COVID-19 transmission that she was referring only to patients who never show any symptoms at all, not those who have not yet begun to show symptoms—individuals who are classified as being presymptomatic—nor those cases that involve only mild symptoms. The WHO estimates that among truly asymptomatic patients, 16 percent can infect others. “We do know that some people who are asymptomatic can transmit the virus on,” Van Kerkhov said on Tuesday.
Still, many researchers, including National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, have challenged the WHO’s assertion that the virus is only rarely spread by truly asymptomatic individuals. “[This] ...
