Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Carriers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Frontiers in Public Health

Dev Raj Joshi¹  Reshma Tuladhar¹  Shrijana Bista¹  Prabin Dawadi¹  Lok Bahadur Shrestha²  Binod Rayamajhee³  Gopiram Syangtan⁴ 

[1] Central Department of Microbiology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal;Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal;Faculty of Science, School of Optometry and Vision Science (SOVS), University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW, Australia;Department of Infection and Immunology, Kathmandu Research Institute for Biological Sciences (KRIBS), Lalitpur, Nepal;Shi-Gan International College of Science and Technology (SICOST), Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal;

关键词: asymptomatic;    COVID-19;    2019-nCoV;    pandemic;    SARS-CoV-2;    transmission;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2020.587374

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Asymptomatic cases of SARS-CoV-2 can be unknown carriers magnifying the transmission of COVID-19. This study appraised the frequency of asymptomatic individuals and estimated occurrence by age group and gender by reviewing the existing published data on asymptomatic people with COVID-19. Three electronic databases, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science (WoS), were used to search the literature following the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). The study population for this review included asymptomatic individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 reported in original articles published up to 30 April 2020. A random effects model was applied to analyze pooled data on the prevalence of asymptomatic cases among all COVID-19 patients and also by age and gender. From the meta-analysis of 16 studies, comprising 2,788 SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, the pooled prevalence according to the random effect size of asymptomatic cases was 48.2% (95% CI, 30–67%). Of the asymptomatic cases, 55.5% (95% CI, 43.6–66.8%) were female and 49.6% (95% CI, 20.5–79.1%) were children. Children and females were more likely to present as asymptomatic COVID-19 cases and could act as unknown carriers of SARS-CoV-2. Symptom-based screening might fail to identify all SARS-CoV-2 infections escalating the threat of global spread and impeding containment. Therefore, a mass surveillance system to track asymptomatic cases is critical, with special attention to females and children.

【 授权许可】

CC BY