Gov. Roy Cooper’s mantra during the coronavirus has been that his decisions are being made based on “the science, the data and the facts.”
However, this is a new disease that scientists are learning more about it every day, so the science, the data and the facts are not set in stone, but are changing as more data leads to new facts.
The World Health Organization (WHO) released some data that, if accepted, would radically change the way the state is attempting to stop the spread of COVID-19.
According to WHO, the science, data and facts indicate that asymptomatic people are highly unlikely to be contagious. Which means if a person doesn’t have symptoms of COVID-19, even if they have COVID-19 they are unlikely to transmit it to anyone else.
Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, who is head of WHO’s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, said, “From the data we have, it still seems to be rare that an asymptomatic person actually transmits onward to a secondary individual.”
At a news briefing at the Geneva headquarters of WHO, she said that WHO had data from countries that had done very detailed studies of asymptomatic persons and persons with very mild symptoms who had tested positive for COVID-19 and found that the transmission to another person was “very rare.”
Do to an outcry from public health and elected officials over this fact – based on science and data – WHO walked that fact back, noting that there were other studies with different results. But what they can’t walk back is that the head of their emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, in answering a specific question about transmission from asymptomatic people, said it was “very rare.” Dr. Kerkhove is a scientist, but when the data of scientific studies don’t match the advice given by public health officials and actions taken by elected officials, then those “facts” are walked back.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the reason for wearing masks is to prevent the mask wearer from transmitting the disease to someone else. The CDC website states, “Wear a face covering to help protect others in case you’re infected but don’t have symptoms.”
But according to Dr. Kerkhove, if you are infected and don’t have symptoms it is “very rare” for you to transmit the disease to someone else.
So if you put that data from the CDC and WHO together, if you don’t have symptoms of COVID-19, wearing a mask isn’t going to do much to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Dr. Kerkhove said that isolating those with COVID-19 symptoms would go a long way to “drastically reduce” the spread of the disease.
This article is very misleading at the expense of public health and trust in reliable public health sources.
Asymptomatic people are people who never develop symptoms at all but test positive for a disease. This is not the same as presymptomatic people, who are infected with a disease and are actively spreading the virus 1-3 days before symptoms develop.
Wearing a mask will absolutely help prevent presymptomatic people from spreading COVID-19. So is washing your hands and waiting six feet apart.
https://www.foxnews.com/science/covid-19-patients-may-be-contagious-with-coronavirus-2-to-3-days-before-symptoms-show-research-warns
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/10/dr-anthony-fauci-says-whos-remark-on-asymptomatic-coronavirus-spread-was-not-correct.html
Thank you. Rhino only wishes to report on news that reflects it’s conservative politics without regard to public health. Saying this is a “news” paper is starting to become a stretch.
Uh , Lizzy does that comment only apply to conservative leaning papers . Atleast they are ” reporting ” . The liberal leaning papers ” make up ” the news to their liking . Any thing other is just hawg wash.
Then if your not satisfied with the Rhino Times they will gladly refund your money. Just saying
There have been far deadlier viruses in the last 50 yrs., and nobody went around wearing a mask.. This entire business was instigated by some leftists, such as Dr. Fucci, and organizations that he belongs to, along with mass hysteria by the Democratic Party, and the Left Leaning Media to put us in OUR PLACE , destroy the economy, eventually cause riots, all to bring down the Republicans, Conservatives, and President Donald Trump. Current statistics show that the H1N1 Virus, The Avian Virus, and the Swine Flu caused more Deaths, and More illnesses, but none of them were used for a political agenda. We have had deaths reported as Covid 19 Deaths, when the person died of other causes. This has been confirmed by family members, but nor reported by the media. We have had large numbers of deaths due to Covid 19 patients being put in nursing homes, where the populations of such places are far more susceptible to death by various infections and viruses ! As a reasonable thinking human being, I will NOT accept the garbage being fed to us by the Lefto Commie “Scientists”, News Media, and Politicians !!!
Almost all experts now believe that the virus is passed by close and prolonged exposure, the kind that would happen at a family gathering at home for instance, rather than passing strangers outside or in a well ventilated indoor space. Social distancing is still key but wearing a mask in public is worthless.
Without links to referenced studies (supporting both sides) this is a worthless diatribe, not even an op-ed piece. Public Health has to balance scientifically correct advice against what the public will actually DO – during the HIV epidemic they didn’t JUST push absitance, they also educated on protected sex because they knew people wouldn’t follow abstinence only approaches. Same thing going on here.
John, you should do your homework as now you are spreading untruths. They did announce this but within thirty minutes it was known as a mistake. Please, now, tell everyone the facts. You were wrong and the last thing we need is wrong information in a state where people can’t even do one simple thing to help the spread, which is, to wear a stupid mask. It’s simple folks, put on a mask and social distance. Just like a Republican, spreading untruths….WOW John ! Shameful Son.
6-12-2020
The NCDHHS reported the highest daily case jump yet at more than 1,700.
However, hospitalizations are down after four record days. Health officials are growing concerned about the cases in Forsyth County, where there are more cases per 100,000 people than the state average. There was also a significant death jump in both Guilford and Alamance County.
41,249 CASES (UP 1,768) (HIGHEST DAILY CASE SPIKE)
1,092 DEATHS (UP 28)
595,697 TESTS (UP 23,020) (HIGHEST TESTING DAY)
760 HOSPITALIZED (DOWN 52)
DHHS REPORTS 10% OF TESTS WERE POSITIVE FOR 6/11, UP FROM 8% ON 6/10
GUILFORD – 1,899 CASES, 91 DEATHS (46 new cases, 6 new deaths)
FORSYTH – 2,051 CASES, 25 DEATHS (84 new cases, 0 new deaths)
ALAMANCE – 641 CASES, 31 DEATHS (60 new cases, 7 new deaths)
Where did you get your PhD in virology, Dr. Hammer?
What? You don’t have that degree? Then stop writing this stuff.
WHO World Health Organization has already corrected this story.
Oh, bother. Here comes the virus cowards attacking John Hammer. I am so sick of all this crap. It’s a virus, my little sheep friends. That’s all it is. It hasn’t killed more people than any other disease, but (gasp) let’s all just wear our little masks and tote our big bottles of sanitizer until our immune systems have no ability to fight any germ. And yes, I have a medical degree. As opposed to you having a degree in farm fecal matter (can you figure out what I’m saying?).