Health Desk :
The novel coronavirus is twice as infectious within households than similar diseases such as SARS, with a substantial number of additional infections spreading before a Covid-19 sufferer shows any symptoms, AFP news agency reported on Thursday quoting a new study.
Using data on 350 Covid-19 patients and nearly 2,000 of their close contacts in the city of Guangzhou, China, the researchers from US and China found that while the average patient had just a 2.4 percent chance of infecting someone they did not live with, that figure jumped to 17.1 percent – around one in six – among cohabitants.
The overall chances of infecting a family member or live-in partner with Covid-19 are twice as high as with SARS, and three times higher than MERS, another coronavirus, they found.
The study suggested that quarantine of asymptomatic patients can help prevent transmission.
The novel coronavirus is twice as infectious within households than similar diseases such as SARS, with a substantial number of additional infections spreading before a Covid-19 sufferer shows any symptoms, AFP news agency reported on Thursday quoting a new study.
Using data on 350 Covid-19 patients and nearly 2,000 of their close contacts in the city of Guangzhou, China, the researchers from US and China found that while the average patient had just a 2.4 percent chance of infecting someone they did not live with, that figure jumped to 17.1 percent – around one in six – among cohabitants.
The overall chances of infecting a family member or live-in partner with Covid-19 are twice as high as with SARS, and three times higher than MERS, another coronavirus, they found.
The study suggested that quarantine of asymptomatic patients can help prevent transmission.
