WTH, WHO?

On Monday, an official from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 were rare. It was later clarified that asymptomatic cases themselves were not rare but that those individuals who were asymptomatic rarely infected others.

Then on Tuesday, even more clarifications were levied.

This from a former Obama administration official:

Sooooo......we've gone from "extremely rare" transmissions to 16% to 40%? Is that how I'm reading this?

(WHO epidemiologist Dr. Maria Van) Kerkhove said Tuesday that as much as 40% of viral transmission could be from asymptomatic patients, but too little is understood about the virus to make that conclusion.

“It's a constant revision and a constant evolution and debate,” Kerkhove said. “And I mean that in a constructive way of saying what do we know, what are the key questions, what don't we know, and what are we doing to address those unknown? It's not enough to say we don't know.”

Kerkhove added that the question of whether people without symptoms are primary transmitters underscores the need for widespread contact tracing and testing. She said guidelines from the WHO to practice social distancing and good hygiene are part of a “comprehensive strategy” to eradicate the virus.

Glad we could clear that up.

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