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. 2020 Jul;26(7):e201595.
doi: 10.3201/eid2607.201595. Epub 2020 Jun 21.

Evidence Supporting Transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 While Presymptomatic or Asymptomatic

Nathan W Furukawa, John T Brooks, Jeremy Sobel

Evidence Supporting Transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 While Presymptomatic or Asymptomatic

Nathan W Furukawa et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Recent epidemiologic, virologic, and modeling reports support the possibility of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission from persons who are presymptomatic (SARS-CoV-2 detected before symptom onset) or asymptomatic (SARS-CoV-2 detected but symptoms never develop). SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the absence of symptoms reinforces the value of measures that prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by infected persons who may not exhibit illness despite being infectious. Critical knowledge gaps include the relative incidence of asymptomatic and symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, the public health interventions that prevent asymptomatic transmission, and the question of whether asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection confers protective immunity.

Keywords: 2019 novel coronavirus disease; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; asymptomatic; coronavirus disease; presymptomatic; respiratory infections; review; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; transmission; viruses; zoonoses.

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