John Hopkins Medicine Article on COVID-19: Asymptomatic Shedding of Virus
****We cannot assume that asympotmatic patients are not a threat.
Everyone is potentially shedding virus at any given time, with or without symptoms.
Dental professionals, don’t risk your health,
use the AeroShield Aerosol Eliminator with every patient.
To learn how dentists are mitigating the issue of
aerosols in the dental office,
CLINICAL
- COVID-19 (novel coronavirus disease-2019) is the disease, SARS-CoV-2 is the virus.
Epidemiology
- COVID-19 cases
- Reported in most countries performing testing and all continents except Antarctica
- Declared a pandemic by the WHO
- Real-time global reports available through Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases Dashboard by Johns Hopkins CSSE.
- Reported in most countries performing testing and all continents except Antarctica
- Risk groups
- Older age, especially > 65 yrs and people with comorbidities appear more likely to develop an infection and severe symptoms and be at risk for death.
- Males are more affected, especially with critical illness COVID-19.
- Younger adults are also being hospitalized in the U.S.
- Adults 20–44 account for 20% of hospitalizations, 12% of ICU admissions.
- Obesity appears to be emerging as a risk factor for ≥ 18 years.
- Children appear less symptomatic with infection and less prone to severe illness.
- Older age, especially > 65 yrs and people with comorbidities appear more likely to develop an infection and severe symptoms and be at risk for death.
- Seasonality
- Although typical respiratory coronaviruses are seen mostly in winter in the Northern Hemisphere, in some countries, such as Thailand, they circulate year-round.
- Unclear if SARS-CoV-2 will follow the traditional respiratory season with a decrease in the late spring and summer.
- MERS-CoV is now seen sporadically year-round but more so during wintertime.
- Although typical respiratory coronaviruses are seen mostly in winter in the Northern Hemisphere, in some countries, such as Thailand, they circulate year-round.
Transmission
- By respiratory droplets and by fomite. Virus found in respiratory secretions and saliva.
- Viral shedding by asymptomatic people may represent 25–50% of total infections.
- Viral shedding may antedate symptoms by 1–2 days.
- Viral titers are highest in the earliest phases of infection.
See full article at: https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540747/all/Coronavirus_COVID_19__SARS_CoV_2_
****To learn how dentists are mitigating the issue of aerosols, click here.****