Pakistan: 3 asymptomatic persons test positive for coronavirus

The world is battling the coronavirus, the stress is on conducting a maximum number of tests and quarantining those who test positive, but there have been several cases where the patients did not show any symptoms of having the infection.

Such cases remain the biggest threat to the efforts towards breaking the chain of transmission.

In Pakistan, three cases have emerged which once again stress on the importance of testing even those who do not show symptoms for the coronavirus.

On March 29, five Pakistani nationals returned to their homeland from India. This was done through a special arrangement made between the two government even though the borders remain closed.

All these Pakistani nationals were in India since March 8 on a medical visa. The patient received successful treatment for a liver ailment in a prominent hospital in Delhi-NCR and was discharged on March 29.

Till this time the patient or anyone of those accompanying him did not show any symptoms.

They were allowed to return via, the Attari-Wagah border under the special arrangements made by the two governments.

As part of the protocol, all 5 were tested for the novel coronavirus upon their return to Pakistan.

The test reports which came out on March 31, have now shown that 3 of these 5 people are infected with COVID-19.

The confirmation of coronavirus among these people leaves several others in the line of danger.

All the doctors who treated them and the officials who managed their return stand a good chance of contracting the virus.

This particular case has once again brought to fore the issue of whether there is a need for testing even those who are asymptomatic.

And once again the scales are titles towards the argument that tests need to be conducted irrespective of a person showing symptoms or not.

Studies have shown that several patients did not show any symptoms of the coronavirus at the time of admission to the hospital.

A study conducted by the Italian National Health Service has shown that of among the first 3,200 deaths, 5.7 per cent of the patients showed no symptoms when they were admitted to the hospital.

Several nations have mandated that only those showing symptoms will be tested.

This is partly due to the limited number of testing kits available. But could turn out to be a major lapse in the fight against COVID-19.

Not testing the asymptomatics is potentially the biggest roadblock to the efforts of flattening the curve.

China, the place where the first cases were reported seems to have understood this now.

It has begun listing out the numbers and details of asymptomatic patients which later tested positive for the coronavirus.

The aim is to fully wean-off the threat of the coronavirus.

Individuals and institutions need to cooperation and flag these concerns.

The World Health Organisation has time and again stressed on the need to conduct more tests, even on the asymptomatic population.

As WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus said, "tests... tests... and tests... remain the best bet to combat the coronavirus".