AN ASYMPTOMATIC AND VISUAL
TRANSFERS ONWARD.
WANT TO FOLLOW THE SYMPTOMATIC
CASES.
IF WE FOLLOWED ALL OF THE
SYMPTOMATIC CASES, BECAUSE WE
KNOW THAT THIS IS A RESPIRATORY
PATHOGEN, IT PASSES FROM
EFFECTIVE DROPLETS.
IF WE FOLLOW ALL OF THE CASES
IN ISOLATED THOSE CASES AND
FOLLOWED THE CONTACT AND
QUARANTINED THEM, WE WOULD
DRASTICALLY REDUCE THE NUMBERS.
THAT STATEMENT TODAY BY
DOCTOR WITH THE WORLD HEALTH
ORGANIZATION SAYING IT APPEARS
ASYMPTOMATIC PEOPLE MAY NOT
SPREAD COVID-19 . FOR MORE ON
THIS, LET'S TALK TO A DOCTOR
WHO IS AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE
EXPERT AT FIU.
IT SOUNDS LIKE REALLY BIG
POSITIVE NEWS.
. WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO
THIS?
YES, I HAVE A GREAT RESPECT.
SHE HAS BEEN STUDYING THE
CORONAVIRUS FOR MANY YEARS.
SHE HAS BEEN HEAVILY INVOLVED
WITH COVID-19.
WHAT MARY SAID TODAY IS NOT
REALLY VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT
SHE SAID ALL ALONG. SHE
EMPHASIZED BACK IN FEBRUARY
THAT MOST CASES THAT ARE
PRESYMPTOMATIC OR SYMPTOMATIC
ARE THE ONES THAT ARE CAUSING
MOST OF THE TRANSMISSION.
THIS IS SOMETHING WE HAVE KNOWN
THAT WE FOLLOW VERY, VERY
CAREFULLY.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SHE SAID
DIFFERENTLY IS BEFORE, SHE
THOUGHT THAT VIRTUALLY NO CASES
WERE TRANSMITTED FROM AN
ASYMPTOMATIC PERSON ONWARD.
AND WHAT SHE SAID TODAY WAS THAT
THERE ARE VERY RARE INSTANCES.
IT IS VERY SIMILAR FROM WHAT
SHE HAS BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG.
SHE WANTS TO EMPHASIZE THE FACT
THAT THE BIGGEST RISKS ARE THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT YET
SYMPTOMATIC.
HOW DO WE FIND THESE CASES?
THAT IS WHAT IS SO IMPORTANT.
THE WAY THAT PEOPLE FIND THESE
PRESYMPTOMATIC OR ASYMPTOMATIC
CASES IS BY DOING PROPER
CONTACT TRACING.
THAT IS SOMETHING WHERE WE IN
THE UNITED STATES WERE DOING
THE CONTACT TRACING, BUT WE ARE
QUARANTINING AND NOT TESTING
THOSE INDIVIDUALS RELIGIOUSLY,
IF YOU WILL THE WAY THAT OTHER
COUNTRIES DID.
THAT IS HOW OTHER COUNTRIES,
SUCH AS SINGAPORE, WHICH WAS
MENTIONED DURING THE PRESS
BRIEFING FOUND 50% ASYMPTOMATIC
CASES.
AS MARY SAID VERY CLEARLY, AND
IT'S TRUE, MOST OF THOSE CASES
THAT ARE IDENTIFIED AS
ASYMPTOMATIC EITHER HAVE VERY
MILD SYMPTOMS THAT ARE NOT
CLEARLY RECOGNIZED AS BEING
COVID-19 OR THEY ARE
PRESYMPTOMATIC AND THEY DEVELOP
SYMPTOMS LATER.
THERE IS STILL A RISK FROM
PEOPLE WHO HAVE SHOWN NO
SYMPTOMS, BUT IN TERMS OF THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY
ASYMPTOMATIC AND TRANSMITTING
ON THE DISEASE, WE BARELY
DEMONSTRATE THAT.
WE ARE HEARING ABOUT THE
IMPORTANCE OF CONTACT TRACING.
IS THAT TAKING PLACE? WHAT
NEEDS TO BE DONE TO DO A BETTER
JOB OF CONTACT TRACING?
CONTACT TRACY'S -- CONTACT
TRACING IS ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL.
THAT IS HOW WE FIND WHERE THE
VIRUS IS.
SO, EVERY TIME THAT ONE
INDIVIDUAL IS POSITIVE, IT IS
IMPERATIVE TO GO BACK AND FIND
OUT WHO THEY HAVE BEEN CLOSE TO
DURING THEIR INFECTIOUS PERIOD.
NOW, IF WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
PEOPLE WHO HAVE SYMPTOMS, THEN
WE LOOK AT PEOPLE WHO TWO DAYS
BEFORE THEY HAD SYMPTOMS WERE
AROUND THAT INDIVIDUAL, SO WE
LOOK AT THE PRESYMPTOMATIC PHASE
TWO DAYS BEFORE THEY HAVE
SYMPTOMS.
THEY MIGHT BE SHEDDING VIRUS