ARE VAST MAJORITY OF COVID-19 CASES ASYMPTOMATIC?

Powerline Blog ^ | 04/30/2020 | John Hinderaker

[SeekAndFind]

From studies in prisons in four states comes a remarkable conclusion: as many as 95% of COVID-19 cases may produce no symptoms:

As mass coronavirus testing expands in prisons, large numbers of inmates are showing no symptoms. In four state prison systems — Arkansas, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia — 96% of 3,277 inmates who tested positive for the coronavirus were asymptomatic, according to interviews with officials and records reviewed by Reuters.
***
After a recent spike in cases at the Neuse Correctional Institution in Goldsboro, North Carolina, state correctional officials tested all 723 prisoners last week. Of the 444 who were infected by the virus, 98% were asymptomatic, the state’s department of public safety said. …

Similarly, mass testing at two Arkansas prisons — the Cummins Unit in the city of Grady and the Community Correction Center in the state capital Little Rock — found 751 infected inmates, almost all of them asymptomatic, the state corrections department said.

The implication, of course, is that vastly more Americans have had the virus than has been believed. That would be great news, because it means that 1) the disease is far less lethal than was once feared, almost certainly in the range of a seasonal flu virus, and 2) we are farther down the road to herd immunity than has been believed.

For reasons I can’t explain, those commenting on the Reuters story don’t see the fact that the virus produces no illness in the overwhelming majority of people it infects as good news:

“Prison agencies are almost certainly vastly undercounting the number of COVID cases among incarcerated persons,” said Michele Deitch, a corrections specialist and senior lecturer at the University of Texas. “Just as the experts are telling us in our free-world communities, the only way to get ahead of this outbreak is through mass testing.”

But how will mass testing “get ahead of this outbreak?” The more tests we do, the more people we will find who have, or have had, the virus. So what? Epidemiologists say that the virus will continue to spread until a critical mass of us have had it and are immune, a number that probably lies between 40% and 70%. The virus will then more or less die out. I fail to understand how doing millions of tests on apparently well people is going to guide policy in any significant way.

[madprof98]

They only want “mass testing” to delay reopening the economy so that Trump will crash and burn in November. That’s it. The only reason.

[SaxxonWoods]

Yes, that’s why everyone must stay home forever. Until there is a vaccine. Then some people will die and some won’t, like now. But the dying will be govt sanctioned so that will be OK.

[decal]

“I fail to understand how doing millions of tests on apparently well people is going to guide policy in any significant way.”

The more tests you do, the more really sick people you'll find, the better excuse to re-shut everything down.

It's happening right now where I live - two towns in adjacent counties are testing anyone who asks for it, but ONLY if they show symptoms.

[DallasBiff]

I worked at a DFW airport area hotel, and was a shuttle driver, and picked up people from all around the world and stored their luggage.

I'm fine as of right now today, maybe one day back, don't know which month, before the lockdown, I may have had a slight fever but didn't think it was anything but a slight cold.

I was in the ultimate social situation, and I'm still fine. I think the fear has been overblown.

[FreeReign]

The more tests you do, the more really sick people you'll find, the better excuse to re-shut everything down.

I believe the president's guidelines use hospitalization rates not infection rates or case rates.

[RJS1950]

The statistics and medical gurus seem to have some problems with simple grade school computations. One of the latest is a breakdown of the spread in the U.S. It shows 61,635 deaths (questionable), total cases of 1,063,863 total cases with 147,114 recovered. Now, just a casual observer might note that if you subtract the deaths from the 1 million+ number and then subtract the total recovered from that number you end up with 855,114 cases unaccounted for. If they didn’t die and didn’t recover then where are they? In ICU? I don’t think so. Could it be that the total number of cases along with the total number of deaths are both wildly inflated with unconfirmed or assumed infections deaths? More BS to feed the panic; keep those numbers in the scary range so the sheep don’t catch on.

[central_va]

The Fearpers won’t like this....

[devane617]

Wonder if “Positive” people qualify for Social Security Disability? Hmm...The big payout begins soon.

[CJ Wolf]

I know virginia doesn’t report recovered.

[CJ Wolf]

true

[exDemMom]

Exactly what kind of tests were these? Were they tested and found to have active virus? Or was this an antibody test that may have only been picking up recent cold infections?

The most complete data I have been able to find on asymptomatic vs. symptomatic cases was from the Diamond Princess, where everyone was tested. IIRC, 18% of the infected did not have symptoms. This is probably in line with other colds.

[Red6]

People will think you’re crazy for stating that, but I have seen it with my own eyes. Many of these ambitious politicians believe in NOTHING except themselves. They do not care if they are making deals with the devil (China, Vietnam, Iran with Obama), if they sell out Americans (offshoring years past), or make strategic blunders (leave Iraq when we did - purely to get reelected).

All is fine in politics. So no, your statement is not absurd even though it may appear that way to some.

[wildcard_redneck]

“The Fearpers won’t like this....“

I am going to steal ‘Fearper’ because that is a classic summation of that group. I can just imagine them typing away while locked up in their houses filled with pictures of the Bush clan and crying in their beer over the GOPe.

[gas_dr]

Are a vast majority of CoVId Cases Asymptomatic?I>

In one word -- YES. Has been since the original assault on our freedoms.

[absalom01]

Can you elaborate on what leads you to suspect that the current serology testing is unable to distinguish between the novel corona virus and other infectionns? You seem to have specialized knowledge that would be helpful to understand.

[arthurus]

Asymptotic or minor symptoms that are passed off by the “victim” as having woke up wrong one day.

[TBP]

It sure looks that way.

[Falconspeed]

“I think the fear has been overblown.’

100% True and correct. Elderly alone need lockdowns. Masks are unhealthy and prevent fresh air. No one gets a virus outdoors.

[Drago]

We are now moving out of the “antibody testing to see the “denominator”/lethality of COVID-19 compared to reg. flu” phase and now moving into the “raw fatality numbers” phase because we are now exceeding the fatality totals for the worst “regular flu” in the last 10 years. Going to have to start comparing it to the 1918 Spanish Flu or the 1957 Asian Flu.

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/index.html

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries

https://www.ranker.com/list/worst-us-flu-seasons/laura-allan