Asymptomatic COVID-19 in South Africa - implications for the control of transmission

Asymptomatic COVID-19 may contribute significantly to the pandemic trajectory based on global biological, epidemiological and modelling evidence. A retrospective analysis was done to determine the proportion of asymptomatic COVID-19 in the workplace during the lockdown period from 27 March to 31 May 2020. We found that nearly 45% of cases were asymptomatic at the time of the first test. This high proportion of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases has implications for interventions, such as enforcing quarantine of all close contacts of COVID-19 cases regardless of symptoms.

Automated summary

Research revealed that during the lockdown period, nearly 45% of COVID-19 cases in the workplace were asymptomatic. This indicates the significant impact of asymptomatic carriers on the pandemic trajectory, advocating for the quarantine of all close contacts of COVID-19 cases regardless of symptoms.