IN THE JOURNAL of General Internal Medicine, Monica Gandhi writes about the hypothesis that universal masking reduces the “inoculum” or dose of the virus inhaled, leading to milder, asymptomatic infections. She tells THE WEEK how asymptomatic Covid-19 infections could be helpful and about other findings in her research. Edited excerpts:
Q/ You say that a high rate of asymptomatic infection is good.
A/ Yes, a high rate of asymptomatic infection in Covid-19 can be a good thing. This virus has protean manifestations, ranging from no symptoms to severe disease and death. In mid-July, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the US estimated the rate of asymptomatic infection with Covid-19 to be 40 per cent. Asymptomatic infection can be a problem (in terms of spread), but getting infected and not being sick is a good outcome for a patient.
Moreover, if individuals develop immunity to Covid-19 after asymptomatic infection, that is helpful in slowing down the spread of the disease. There is accumulating evidence that cell-mediated immunity develops after asymptomatic infection. There are two arms to the immune response—antibodies and cell-mediated immunity. Cell-mediated immunity provides longer term protection and, if this develops to asymptomatic infection, it is a very good outcome.
Denne historien er fra September 06, 2020-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 06, 2020-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI