A World Health Organization expert clarified Tuesday that the coronavirus can be spread by people who show no symptoms, a day after sparking widespread confusion by saying that such asymptomatic spread of COVID-19 was “very rare.”
Scientists around the world pushed back against the statement Monday by one of the WHO’s top epidemiology experts, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, leading to the unusual backtracking by the organization a day later.
Van Kerkhove’s response to a question about coronavirus transmission at a news briefing Monday came as governments and public health officials worldwide have instituted lockdowns and issued guidance to socially distance and wear face coverings in an effort, in part, to stop asymptomatic spread.
On Tuesday, Van Kerkhove said that her assessment that asymptomatic spread was “very rare” was based on specific studies that may not have gone through peer review, and that it does not reflect a change in WHO guidance.