Coronavirus Community Spread: India Should Focus On Symptomatic Cases, Say Experts

New Delhi: Health experts have suggested that India should focus on symptomatic patients. It followed an announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO’s) experts that asymptomatic patients are less likely to affect others.

“It’s true asymptomatics don’t spread much and that it is the symptomatics who are the drivers of clusters,” Dr. Giridhar Babu, physician and epidemiologist, told The Hindu.

Besides, WHO emerging diseases and zoonosis unit head, Maria Van Kerkhove on Monday told the media that timely isolation of symptomatic cases and their contacts can drastically bring down community transmission.

“It still appears to be rare that an asymptomatic individual transmits onwards,” she added.

However, according to Harvard Global Health Institute, any person with COVID-19 symptoms can easily spread infection and accused WHO of creating confusion.

“WHO should be commissioning studies to understand spread within the distinct categories of asymptomatics and pre-symptomatics. Decisions such as these have public health implications in terms of who should be availing tests,” Dr Babu added.

Also Read: Unlock 1.0: Corona Not Exploded In India But Risk Of That Remains, Warns WHO