THD NewsDesk, New Delhi: According to the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, 80% of those infected with COVID-19 in India do not display any physical symptoms. The report analyzed data until 23rd August as provided by different states.
On 30th April, there were 285 of infected Indians with asymptomatic COVID-19 infection, according to a report published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research. As per a senior IDSP official,
“This is an analysis we have done of all the symptoms that patients have reported with. However, it is important to understand that after many meetings with states, it is now clear that about 80% of patients in India are asymptomatic. This is a large number,”
Most of the people who get infected experience symptoms like gastrointestinal problems, loss of smell, tastelessness, and body pain. The official added,
“We earlier thought that these are presymptomatic people who have been traced and tested during the contact tracing exercise and are essentially presymptomatic, that is they go on to develop symptoms later. However, states have now emphatically told us that these are asymptomatic people not presymptomatic. This is the largest chunk of patients,”
This is good news in terms of the overall recovery rate since asymptomatic people will recover instead of developing serious complications or succumbing to the disease. This also makes home treatment easier, involves less intervention by doctors making them available for people with serious symptoms who need care, and is lighter on the pockets of the patients making the disease bearable.
