Opinion ping-pongs on COVID-19 transmission

A World Health Organization expert said on Monday the spread of the coronavirus by asymptomatic carriers likely accounts for just 6 percent of cases. Data that track people without symptoms for long periods suggests they are not fueling the spread of the virus, said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO technical lead for COVID-19. Her report conflicts with one from the Annals of Internal Medicine last week that found 40 to 45 percent of new cases could be linked to people who had the disease but showed no symptoms

Any other medical updates? Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill released a study in late May that found SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, most easily takes hold in the nasal cavity. Some said the finding supports the importance of wearing a mask to lower the likelihood of transmission.

Dig deeper: Read Dr. Charles Horton’s report about how recent retractions of landmark coronavirus studies could undermine trust in the medical community.