Van Kerkhove said Tuesday that she had been misunderstood and her remarks were based on just two to three preliminary scientific studies. But experts worry the episode could undermine WHO at a crucial moment in the global coronavirus response.
WHO backs off claim that people without virus symptoms aren’t transmission risk
Original article from Politico by Brianna Ehley, 2020
The World Health Organization has walked back a top official’s claim that asymptomatic spread of coronavirus is “very rare” after it sparked controversy and confusion worldwide.
The remarks Monday by epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove — the WHO’s technical lead on the pandemic — contradicted advice given by health experts and policymakers in most countries, who have based calls for social distancing and mask wearing on the idea that people without symptoms can unwittingly spread infection.
“It’s an unfortunate misstep in the middle of what’s already a hard road for most public health officials,” said Nahid Bhadelia, an infectious disease physician and the medical director of the Special Pathogens Unit at the Boston University School of Medicine.