The Ministry of Health on Thursday issued a clarification on concerns raised over asymptomatic cases of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Asymptomatic Coronavirus cases in Kenya - Ministry of Health issues clarification
2 things to remember - CAS Mwangangi
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Speaking during the daily briefing at Afya House, CAS Mercy Mwangangi explained that there have been individuals who tested positive for the virus but showed no symptoms of the Covid-19 disease.
While relaying the two most common instances of asymptomatic presentation, Dr Mwangangi noted that scientists around the globe are yet to deduce why this occurs.
"This is a new virus and scientists around the world are still learning...we are still trying to understand it and that's why we need to follow the measures in place to reduce the risk of transmission," she stated.
Majority of people test positive 5 or 6 days after infection
Dr Mwangangi explained that even when an individual does not show symptoms of Coronavirus, they are still able to infect others.
According to the MoH statement, some patients test positive after a day of contracting the virus while majority will only test positive after 5 or 6 days, however, all positive individuals can spread the disease even on day one.
In summary, the CAS clarified as follows:-
- The incubation period for Covid-19 (time between exposure and symptoms) on average is 5-6 days and sometimes in some individuals this can go up to 14 days. People in this phase can still transmit the virus.
- Studies have shown that sometimes one may test positive for Coronavirus depending on different time periods. Some people test positive between 1 to 3 days of exposure/contracting the virus but there are studies ongoing about this.
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