Asymptomatic people with Covid are only responsible for a tiny fraction of spread, a study in the Lancet has found, exploding a myth that formed a key part of social distancing policies and fear messaging during the pandemic.
The study, from a team at Imperial College London, is the latest to come out of the human challenge trial, in which 36 people were deliberately infected with SARS-CoV-2 and followed up.
Earlier results from the trial published last year made the surprising finding that only around half (53%) of those who were inoculated with a droplet of infected material in their nose – none of whom had known prior infections or antibodies – went on to test positive for the virus, indicating an unexpected level of immune resistance to the virus.
In the new paper, published in the Lancet Microbe, the researchers report that just 7% of virus emissions occurred before the first reported symptom, indicating that transmission during the presymptomatic phase is responsible for a tiny fraction of overall spread.
This contradicts a claim that was a key part of the case for universal social distancing, lockdown and masking policies, and was used extensively in fear messaging to induce compliance. For instance, numerous U.K. Government posters asserted that “around one in three people with COVID-19 don’t have any symptoms, but can still pass it on”.
The claim also cropped up frequently in the scientific literature, with a 2020 paper in Nature claiming: “Containment of COVID-19 is made difficult because, unlike SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 is commonly spread by people showing no symptoms.”
But it turns out that this central plank of The Science is a myth. Almost all COVID-19 transmission occurs only once symptoms have begun.
Regarding truly asymptomatic infections, the researchers found just one participant (of 18) who had a period of testing positive but reported no symptoms at all. He or she did emit some virus, indicating that spread from people asymptomatic throughout a genuine infection is possible, but makes up only a tiny proportion of total spread.
Interestingly, the researchers also found evidence to support the super-spreader hypothesis, as 86% of total detected airborne virus was generated by just two participants (11%) over three days. With the researchers also finding no relationship between symptom severity and emissions (i.e., those with the worst symptoms didn’t necessarily emit the most virus), the study shows there is still much we don’t understand about viruses.
It is notable that this latest debunking of the official narrative came from Imperial College, with Professor Neil Ferguson himself one of the authors. It seems that sometimes even the arch-lockdowners have to give ground to the truth.
As another official ‘fact’ falls to the ground, please can we stop the censorship of dissent?
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So many of societies problems are caused by the people highlighted here.
Odd that the pre-budget visit to Downing St by those Inner Circle of Hell debentures, Bill Gates and Larry Fink, aroused no concerns in our ever vigilant media about foreign or billionaire interference
Someone mentioned that on GB News last week, and the Leftist guest responded with, we have no right to know what they discussed and if you do, you are a conspiracy theorist. Funny how the Left is now in bed with the corporations.
Twas ever thus with Fascism as it is the difference from Communism.
This is the paragraph that really caught my eye:
‘Coban led a very full life, working as Labour-run Hackney’s Cabinet Member for the Environment and fronting the borough’s £61 million mission to tackle climate change.’
First of all what a very grand title, Hackney obviously sees itself as a mini state.
Beyond that here we have a single Labour council pouring tens of millions of pounds down the Net Zero fantasy drain (and I’m sure many Conservative and Lib Dem ones are being similarly profligate) at the same time as the Labour government complains about multi billion pound black holes in the country’s finances.
Perhaps they should join the dots…
“… a single Labour council …” As you say, they’re all at it. Our “climate emergency” was declared in October 2019, to a great fanfare and presentation of a grandiose statement of intent. Time to revisit that.
Tackling climate change is the biggest waste of human resources in the history of mankind. Never has so much been spent to achieve so little.
Indeed. A colossal iniquity.
Coban and the empty-inane wild eye look of a psychopath with the requisite moustache. A grifter, grafter, corrupt and moron. Which is why the fake news loves him.
Coban and Climate Con Fascism. He and his cult are only missing their black and grey uniforms and shiny boots.
I don’t really buy this whole “election interference” thing – people are free to make their minds up with the information available. That said, the left make sure that any “election interference” that might benefit the right is well publicised, while hiding “interference” in the opposite direction.
Labour made a huge and helpful contribution to the recent US elections. They made damn sure Trump and the GOP won the whole shooting match! Thank you, lefties!
I think Cackles deserves credit for most of that. She might well have been worse than Dementia Joe.
It is v difficult to stop the slush funds since they can target the family(ies) instead or just provide cheap penthouse accommodation.
As Farage found, they can even prosecute a staff member for exceeding the legal threshold but not dismiss the MP elected and hold another election.
So what has Gates been doing for years?
Is Keir-Ching! going to tell us what he and Gates were discussing when they met in No.10 a couple of weeks ago?
Or with Boris in 2019. At least Dominic Cummings has been spilling the beans about the fake democracy in a video interview.
An excellent piece of investigative journalism by Charlotte Gill.
Mete Coban is a Turkish Muslim from the chunk of Cyprus seized by Turkey, “Mete” being a variation of the Turkish Muslim name “Mehmet”, for “Mohammed”.
“Mete was encouraged to get into politics by his father when he was 14 “to give back to the community”, after his family moved over to the UK from Cyprus so his brother could get [FREE NHS] medical treatment.”
Strange way to “give back”, as if the Indigenous Brits have benefitted in the slightest…
On holiday in Cyprus the Cyprian Head Chef said he had recently had an operation done in London free gratis via the NHS.
As Tony Bliar is involved you just know it is, to say the least, suspicious.
Donald Trump, the Winston Churchill of our times, will stick climate change up Stamerheddons backside.
And what about all the Labour people sent to the States to help Harris..