WHO backpedals on claim asymptomatic transmission of coronavirus is rare

A top expert at the World Health Organisation has rowed back on her earlier assertion that transmission of the coronavirus by people who do not have symptoms is “very rare,” according to The New York Times.

Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, who made the original comment at a WHO briefing on Monday, said on Tuesday that it was based on just two or three studies and that it was a “misunderstanding” to say asymptomatic transmission is rare globally.

“I was just responding to a question, I wasn’t stating a policy of WHO or anything like that,” she was quoted as saying by the Times.

Dr Van Kerkhove said the estimates of transmission from people without symptoms come primarily from models, which may not provide an accurate representation. “That’s a big open question, and that remains an open question,” she said.

Scientists had sharply criticised the WHO for creating confusion on the issue, given the far-ranging public policy implications. Governments around the world have recommended face masks and social distancing measures because of the risk of asymptomatic transmission, according to the report.

A range of scientists said Dr Van Kerkhove’s comments did not reflect the current scientific research, The New York Times said.

A widely cited paper published in April suggested that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of symptoms, and estimated that 44 percent of new infections are a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms.

Dr Van Kerkhove and other WHO experts reiterated the importance of physical distancing, personal hygiene, testing, tracing, quarantine and isolation in controlling the pandemic, the Times report said.