Coronavirus: Scientists advise halving 10-day isolation

Under current rules designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, those infected must do quarantine at home for 10 days. But data suggests that 98% of transmission occurs before people get sick or within five days of onset of symptoms.

Dr Muge Cevik, Clinical Professor of Infectious Diseases and Medical Virology at the University of Oxford, explained: “Since most transmission events occur very early, the isolation period could be much shorter”.

After achieving similar results, France, Germany and the United States reduced their quarantine period and, in those countries, isolation is only five to seven days.

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Understanding the pattern of COVID-19 spread is important for public health officials who formulate measures to control its transmission, the researchers said.

“We also need to educate the public about variety of symptoms related to the disease, including mild symptoms that may occur earlier in the infection than more severe ones such as cough or fever, ”suggests the expert.

Cevik also said that repeating diagnostic tests for COVID-19 may not be necessary to decide whether a patient is no longer contagious, “because that could stay positive for much longer and does not necessarily indicate that he could transmit the virus to others “.

A study published in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that near the 30% of patients who test positive for coronavirus are asymptomatic. He also concluded that although they do not have symptoms, patients carry the same amount of virus as those who do, and both maintain this viral load for the same period. Therefore, experts stress, the importance of wear chin straps and respect social distancing.

New data from the University of Oxford’s Pathogen Dynamics Group shows that up to 40% of transmission occurs before symptoms appear. But most of these events occur during two days before people show symptoms of disease.

What is the difference between asymptomatic and presymptomatic people?

Both terms refer to people who have no symptoms. The difference is that asymptomatic people are those who, although infected, have no symptoms at any time during the infection, while presymptomatic people are those who do not yet have symptoms but will have them. later.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that research continues to better understand the spread of the virus and which environments carry the most risk and why. New variants of the virus and why some are more transmissible are also being explored.