The lack of available tests for COVID-19 means the world is effectively fighting the pandemic blind and may not know the true extent of infection for months if not years, experts said Thursday. Because COVID-19 is so infectious -- roughly 2.5 times that of the common cold -- but not everyone presents
Paris - The lack of available tests for COVID-19 means the world is effectively fighting the pandemic blind and may not know the true extent of infection for months if not years, experts said Thursday.
Jerry Shaman, a diseases expert at the University of Columbia, told AFP it was"likely" that developed nations are identifying between one in five and one in 10 true infections. "Many of these infections are mild but still contagious. So they go about their normal routine -- go to work, use public transportation, go shopping -- and spread the virus in the broader community," said Shaman.While it is generally accepted that patients showing symptoms are more contagious than those exhibiting no sign of infection, the idea of millions of infected people mixing with vulnerable groups will not comfort governments.
"You need to know where you are in the epidemic to be able to do something about it. And to do that, you need to test." Sharon Lewin, head of the world-leading Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity at the University of Melbourne, said another good example of testing and then tracing contacts of patients occurred in Singapore.
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