COVID-19

What the data say about asymptomatic COVID infections People without symptoms can pass on the virus, but estimating their contribution to outbreaks is challenging. Bianca Nogrady nature

How many people don’t experience any symptoms after becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2? And what is their role in spreading COVID-19? These have been key questions since the beginning of the pandemic.

Now, evidence suggests that about one in five infected people will experience no symptoms, and they will transmit the virus to significantly fewer people than someone with symptoms. But researchers are divided about whether asymptomatic infections are acting as a ‘silent driver’ of the pandemic.