I found this news, reported in LiveScience, somewhat disconcerting. A Massachusetts woman remained infectious for with SARS-CoV-2 for 70 days while remaining asymptomatic for COVID-19 throughout:
A woman with COVID-19 in Washington state shed infectious virus particles for 70 days, meaning she was contagious during that entire time, despite never showing symptoms of the disease, according to a new report.
The 71-year-old woman had a type of leukemia, or cancer of the white blood cells, and so her immune system was weakened and less able to clear her body of the new coronavirus, known as SARS-CoV-2. Although researchers have suspected that people with weakened immune systems may shed the virus for longer than typical, there was little evidence of this happening, until now.
That’s a difference on the order of a factor of ten.
the perplexing thing to me is why didn’t she get sick? Age, compromised immune system, chronic illness, nursing home residence says she should be on a ventilator. Mysteries abound.
This is rare. Would not worry about this but rather the millions who still think this is a hoax so no need to take precautions.
Steve
I can offer a speculation. The symptoms are mostly due to immune response.