Thiruvananthapuram: Two people, who did not show any symptoms, have tested positive for coronavirus in Kerala.
The asymptomatic patients were identified to be one Italian national and a Keralite who had returned from abroad.
If there are more asymptomatic carriers, then there is an increased risk for the virus spread, putting the health department on a heightened vigil.
The foreigners and foreign-returned people are not normally subjected to a medical examination if they do not have any symptoms of fever, cough or throat pain. After the local people were found to be apprehensive, the authorities decided to conduct the examination of these two people.
With this, it has been proven that those, who do not have any symptoms, can also be carriers of the disease. Therefore, the health department has asked those leading the treatment and awareness campaigns to exercise more caution.
Asymptomatic people in other countries too
Meanwhile, COVID-19 patients, with no symptoms, were identified in other countries too. Most of these cases were reported from Iceland. About 20 per cent of all the patients could be asymptomatic and 30 per cent would have only mild symptoms, the studies have found.
Extensive medical checks
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the COVID-19 medical checks in the state will be made more extensive. Currently, only those with four or five symptoms are subjected to a medical examination. Instead of this, samples of those with one or two symptoms would also be taken for testing. Apart from this, the rapid testing for COVID-19 will be started soon, he added.
Coronavirus not airborne, reiterates WHO
Beijing: The World Health Organization (WHO) has reiterated that the Coronavirus cannot remain airborne for long and therefore, the disease cannot be spread through the air.
The (WHO) explained that the virus is transmitted when an individual comes in contact with infective respiratory droplets produced when a patient coughs or sneezes. These droplet transmissions occur when the individual is in close contact with the patient or touches the surface in his/her immediate environment (within one metre).
