Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

What the data say about asymptomatic COVID infections

People without symptoms can pass on the virus, but estimating their contribution to outbreaks is challenging.
  1. Bianca Nogrady
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

How many people don’t experience any symptoms after becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2? And what is their role in spreading COVID-19? These have been key questions since the beginning of the pandemic.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Nature 587, 534-535 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-03141-3

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 20 November 2020: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that studies analyzed in the Cevik, M. et al meta-analysis had measured viral particles in the blood. Particle numbers were measured in throat swabs.

  • Correction 23 November 2020: This article has been updated with the correct affiliation for Krutika Kuppalli.

References

  1. Byambasuren, O. et al. J. Assoc. Med. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. Can. https://doi.org/10.3138/jammi-2020-0030 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Bi, Q. et al. Preprint at medRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.04.20225573 (2020).

  3. Cevik, M. et al. Preprint at SSRN https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3677918 (2020).

Download references

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

  • Assistant Professor

    UBC Physics and Astronomy at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver seeks candidates for up to two tenure-track faculty positions.

    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia (CA)

    Department of Physics and Astronomy - University of British Columbia

  • Postdoctoral Associate Genetics

    Postdoc to develop therapeutic RNAs, focus on mRNA stability, translation, and gene therapy. RNA biology, genomics, and computational biology skills.

    New Haven, Connecticut

    Yale University - Giraldez lab

  • Locum Associate or Senior Editor, BMC Pediatrics

    As an Associate or Senior Editor, you will contribute to the success of the BMC Series by handling editorial content for BMC Pediatrics.

    London or Heidelberg – Hybrid working model

    Springer Nature Ltd

  • Full Professorship (W3) in Molecular Biophysics (f/m/d, tenured)

    The Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS gGmbH) and the Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR) in cooperation with t...

    Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg (DE)

    Universität Heidelberg

  • Postdoctor in Molecular Metabolism

    The Institute of Biomedicine is involved in both research and education. In both of these areas, we focus on fundamental knowledge of the living ce...

    Gothenburg (Stad), Västra Götaland (SE)

    University of Gothenburg

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links