Search

The exponential growth in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) across the UK has been successfully reversed by social distancing and lockdown.[1] RNA testing for prevalent infection is a key part of the exit strategy, but the role of testing for asymptomatic infection remains unclear.[2] Understanding the determinants of asymptomatic or pauci-symptomatic infection will provide new opportunities for personalised risk stratification and reveal much-needed correlates of protective immunity, whether induced by vaccination or natural exposure. Taken together, these data suggest that the rate of asymptomatic infection among HCWs more likely reflects general community transmission than in-hospital exposure. Prospective patients should be reassured that as the overall epidemic wave recedes, asymptomatic infection among HCWs is low and unlikely to be a major source of transmission. [Extracted from the article]