Do You Have The Coronavirus And Not Know it? Reports Show More Asymptomatic Cases Than Once Thought

It was established early in the COVID-19 outbreak that some people who contracted the virus could potentially show no symptoms of it. Now, new reports have emerged suggesting that this phenomenon might be more prevalent than once thought.

Research has been conducted in asymptomatic cases of coronavirus all over the world on unique populations, including California, several European countries, onboard a U.S. aircraft carrier, at a Boston homeless shelter, and amongst pregnant women at a hospital in New York, the Associated Press reports. While the findings give hope that a greater number of people might not be at risk from the contagious disease, they also raise new concerns about not being able to tell who is carrying it at a given time.

“These are larger numbers than we ever anticipated,” Dr. Jim O'Connell, president of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, said. “Asymptomatic spread is something we've underestimated overall, and it's going to make a big difference.”

The CDC now estimates that one out of four infected patients might be asymptomatic. Additionally, Gen. John Hyten, vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, estimates that up to 60-70% of military members might not be showing symptoms while infected.

While these individual studies do not cover enough ground to make conclusive arguments about asymptomatic cases, taken as a whole, they have major implications for the world’s understanding of the ongoing global pandemic.

Johns Hopkins University reports that there have been nearly 2.5 million confirmed cases of coronavirus, leading to exactly 168,500 deaths as of Monday afternoon.