People Who Are COVID-Positive With Symptoms Are 26 Times More Likely to Spread the Virus Than Those Who Are Asymptomatic

February 9, 2021

People who are COVID-positive with symptoms are 26 times more likely to spread the virus than those who are asymptomatic according to a new study published in JAMA network.

JAMA network published a meta-analysis of 54 studies¹, encompassing 77,758 participants, that shows symptomatic people who test positive are 26 times more likely to transmit the virus than asymptomatic people who tested positive for the virus in a household setting. The data indicated that 18% of COVID patients who had symptoms spread the virus in the household, while only 0.7% of those without symptoms transmitted it.

With fever being the leading symptom of coronavirus, the need for accurate temperature screening at home becomes an even greater imperative. This can only be accomplished by using a thermometer like the Exergen TemporalScanner, whose accuracy has been proven in more than 80 peer-reviewed, published clinical studies. Studies² show non-contact thermometers are inaccurate, missing as many as 9 out of 10 fevers. They could provide a false sense of security and negatively impact how families manage the spread of coronavirus in a household.

“Fever is the leading symptom of COVID-19, and these new studies reinforce the importance of accuracy in temperature taking. Accuracy matters, because knowing whether or not you have symptoms helps you manage the transfer of the virus in a household,” said Francesco Pompei, Ph.D., CEO of Exergen Corporation. “You can’t afford to take a chance with anything other than a thermometer whose accuracy has been proven in clinical studies.”

References

Madewell et al. Household Transmission of SARS-CoV-2. JAMA Network Open. 2020 Dec 14.
doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.31756
² Khan et al. Usefulness of Forehead Infrared Thermometers to Scan Patients for Fever During COVID-19 Pandemic. Pak Armed Forces Medical Journal. 2020 Sept 14.