Clinical Features and Outcomes of Asymptomatic Cases of SARS-CoV-2 Infection

We read with great interest the paper of Wenjie Yang et al. 1 on “Clinical characteristics and imaging manifestations of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19): A multi-center study in Wenzhou city, Zhejiang, China” that allow us to share our experiences and observations during the past several months. COVID-19 is a new emerging infectious disease globally. Current understanding on its pathogen termed as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is limited. The virus is thought to mainly transmit from person to person by air droplets and close contact. Essential steps of controlling this disease focus on early detection and isolation of the confirmed cases, followed by tracing and screening their contacts, which is fundamental for minimizing the risk of spread, specifically the isolation and management of the asymptomatic cases2. Previous report has demonstrated the existence of incomplete clinical presentations of SARS3, 80% genetically similarity with SARS-CoV-2. We found 15 asymptomatic cases who were tested positive by RT-PCR assay during the contact-screening of the confirmed COVID-19 patients in Fengjie county, northeastern Chongqing, where is adjacent to Hubei, the center of COVID-19 outbreak in China.