Study: Yes, Half of Coronavirus Carriers Show No Symptoms

NEOSCOPE ^ | 26 Mar, 2020 | Foster Kamer

[MtnClimber]

What we’re learning from Iceland this week is as fascinating as it is crucial to fighting the coronavirus epidemic: That somewhere in the neighborhood of half of everyone testing positive for the coronavirus will show absolutely no symptoms. The hard data, out of Iceland, straight from their (impressive) health ministry’s dedicated COVID-19 page: – As of March 25, Iceland has administered 12,615 tests. – Of those tests, Iceland has found 802 confirmed cases. – While it might not sound like a lot, in a sparsely-populated nation of around 364,000 citizens, it’s an impressive number. They’ve nearly tested 3.4 percent of the entire country

(snip)

“Early results from deCode Genetics indicate that a low proportion of the general population has contracted the virus and that about half of those who tested positive are non-symptomatic,” said [Iceland’s chief epidemiologist Thorolfur] Guðnason. “The other half displays very moderate cold-like symptoms.”

[Paladin2]

~1/1000.

Cost/test is roughly equivalent.

Where did they get their tests?

Why did they think it was appropriate to get such a large fraction of their peeps tested and we didn’t?

[Robert DeLong]

As of March 25, Iceland has administered 12,615 tests

We have 10 times that many confirmed cases, which means we have administered 10 times the tests they have administered. All things are relative, and in many instances size does make a difference. 8>)

[wyokostur]

Sounds like my hubby. He would run a low grade fever every evening. He was put on an antibiotic. It ended up being a Thyroid problem. Hyperthyroidism, he ended up in the hospital for a couple of days.

[Paladin2]

"...in many instances size does make a difference."

Yep, given specialization of labor [and thought, development, production, etc.] the US shoulda been able to test 30% of the population.

[familyop]

Half? That’s like Russian roulette with half the chambers loaded and half of them empty.

[Robert DeLong]

While they are probably administering tests to anyone, we are at this moment limiting tests to only those showing symptoms. One thing we do agree on is that the CDC fell flat on their face and proved they were grossly unprepared for a real event to come onto the scene. That's because the CDC is run by a bunch of progressives that think they know it all.

Unfortunately, we also have a much bigger bureaucracy too. The bigger the bureaucracy the more impediments that exist, and it shows, doesn't it. 8>)

Also I don't know where to find the number of actual tests that have been administered. While I have stated many times here before, more tests should be being administered. I do not know how many tests have actually been administered, though I concede it is probably well below the 30% level as that would be around 116,666,666 tests, and that is not even counting the illegals in this country.

[Paladin2]

Testing is ramping up on a per capita basis, but still highly restricted. And will be for the foreseeable future.

I see quick, cheap testing as way to open up the economy before this virus burns its way through the population prior to a vaccine.

I’m all in favor of hunkering my at risk self down, but would like to have testing available to see if we could go visit grandkids and get some of the minor things on my “bucket list” done in the interim.

[QuigleyDU]

And here’s why. The virus is very similar to one of the common cold virus’s AC-43. If you have had that cold you may now be resistent to COV-19. Plus those with 0+ blood may also be resistent to full on infection.

The fact that some become very sick while others don’t is 100% biological.

This info comes from my brother who is a Doctor. He and his 5 member family had COV-19 in early Feburary. Wife got very sick but recovered without hospitalization, one teen like a bad flu, he and other 2 kids just light sniffles.

He did IGM test after they recovered, to confirm his suspicion.

He has a low opinion of CDC, and their massive blunders here.

If u can find one, have an IGG test, just a pin prick blood test, it will confirm if you had the virus and now have antibodies, also it will confirm you’re infected 4 or 5 days into infection. Results in 10 minutes. Not 4 days.

Also his opinion to avoid a hospital stay if you can, his opinion is wife’s recovery due to moving about in quarantined setting helped free her lungs from fluid build up.

[Robert DeLong]

Well they don't exist. A magic wand that would eliminate all viruses would be even better but it too does not exist. What does exist in technology. That allows us to keep in touch for now and allay our fears regarding loved ones. Think about our fathers and grandfathers who also were directly in harms way in WWII. All they had were letters, and responses were far & few between. Their spouses & children also had war clips that were shown back home. None of which showed real horrors, especially ones that were negative to the effort.

Things will settle down and will return to normal, sooner rather than later. A momentary pause hurts nothing but the economy. But thankfully we have one of the strongest economies in the world, and it will bounce back, as long as this doesn't go on for too long.

Had the nation not gone into panic mode, we might never have had this pause. Blame that on the press trying to push an agenda in an election year, along with fake news that was all over the spectrum. Because so far the numbers do not support the worst case scenarios "experts" were predicting. Is that because of actions taken, or just that this virus was not as deadly as many perceived? We may never know the truth on that question.

[Moonlighter]

It is bizarre how a virus that isn’t even evident in so many is so deadly in some

[minnesota_bound]

It is the flu, kills fewer people too.

[Moonlighter]

And you all isolated?

[Interesting Times]

The U.S. has administered nearly 3/4 of a million tests: https://covidtracking.com/us-daily/

[Moonlighter]

The German study showed asymptomatics having high viral load swabs though didn’t specify how infectious they were or weren’t. I’m curious how infectious basic.breathing isn’t.amongst different degrees of illness.

[RubyR]

My husband was put into quarantine by the county for 14 days. We all avoided contact with others. We still are b/c I am not sure if we had the virus or not so I tell my sons to act as if we haven't had it but also to take into consideration that we may be carriers.

I'm in NY state but we are not able to be tested because we never showed the classic symptoms.

[Moonlighter]

Sometime around the 100,000 positive point, Dr. Birx said only 17% of those tested were positive, so at about 1/5,that be around half a million tests at that point

[MAAG]

I don’t know if any country in the world matches our freedom of movement globally by its citizens, except maybe Israel. So IMHO this is comparing apples to oranges.

[Track9]

“ It is bizarre how a virus that isn’t even evident in so many is so deadly in some”
I don’t know virus forensics but possibly this could be part of determining if it was man made. Certainly accounts for how insidious it is.

[Moonlighter]

Sorry, Ruby, my question should have read "*ARE (not "and") you isolating?" Dang autoINcorrect.

Thank you for so graciously answering anyway and your family's concientiousness is commendable and lends to the point of the original question...

Say someone doesn't know they've been exposed and has mild or atypical/lesser known but not uncommon symptoms (i.e. GI). If the symptom list isn't expanded and they're denied testing, they're apt to still go to at least work and stores. Whereas if they knew they had it, they are more likely to quarantine. Unless there are true supply or reliability issues, the undertesting of at least those with any kind of symptom is undermining containment efforts.

There does seem to be a Task Force push toward antibody testing which, in addition to serum, will help them with the equation and mitigation. Of course immunity is another question with apparent reinfections. p.s. If it's not too invasive, I'd be interested in the extent of exposure your husband had.

[RubyR]

I understood - Thank you :)

My husband is a police officer and was riding in a car with another officer for nearly an hour. The car broke down and they had to work on it together then get a ride back together in a car that came out to get them. During the time my husband told me the other officer appeared "hot, flushed and feverish." Three days later we heard that officer had tested positive for COVID-19.

Four days after exposure my husband was ill with an intense headache and malaise. But the symptoms went away within 48 hours. About a day after he got better I noticed that I developed a cough, sore throat and dizziness. But it was never incapacitating. I still have a cough though.

My husband is blood type O- and I am O+ and I am really beginning to think there is something to that.