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Health

Covid-19: Asymptomatic people may be more infectious than we thought

By Layal Liverpool

22 September 2020

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Commuters wear protective masks as they crowd after getting off the subway during rush hour in Seoul, South Korea

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People who have the coronavirus without symptoms appear to have similar levels of the virus in their noses and throats to people with mild symptoms, a study has found. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean they are as likely to spread covid-19 as those who are sick.

After much speculation early in the pandemic, a growing body of evidence suggests people can pass on the coronavirus even if they don’t have any symptoms. But it still isn’t clear…

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