Asymptomatic Persons, Repeat Testing And Safety Measures: Preparing For An Exit Strategy

In Covid-19 there can be three states pre-symptomatic, symptomatic, or asymptomatic those categorized as asymptomatic could truly be pre-symptomatic follow all safety methods at once, all the time don’t discriminate people based on religion or age people still don’t adhere to basic safety measures

- Kamanthi Wickramasinghe

As people continue to be testing positive for COVID-19 health officials are keeping a close watch on the numbers. The number of PCR tests has been increased and random testing has begun. However, identifying asymptomatic persons is a crucial step during this period because they are people who don’t develop any symptoms associated with the virus. Sometimes they could easily have symptoms that they would ignore. It was also reported that those who returned from quarantine centres too have developed symptoms. As the government is preparing for an exit strategy, medics believe that adhering to safety measures is a matter that shouldn’t be taken lightly anymore.

IDENTIFYING ASYMPTOMATIC PERSONS

“The meaning of the word “asymptomatic” is that a person is without symptoms that can be attributed for that particular disease, in this instance COVID 19,” explained Dr Neranjan Dissanayake, Consultant Pulmonologist at the Ratnapura Teaching Hospital.

“Let me elaborate it a bit. As we know, any disease manifests as changes in the normal physiology causing abnormal physiological presentations. With regards to COVID 19, the major symptoms (i.e.: abnormal physiological manifestations) are fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath, among many others.

“In COVID 19, unlike in a majority of other diseases, there can be three states, depending on whether he can transmit the disease, while having symptoms (symptomatic transmission), before the onset of symptoms (presymptomatic transmission), or without developing symptoms whatsoever (asymptomatic transmission).