Some virologists in India are becoming concerned that 80 percent of the people with COVID-19 in the country are asymptomatic.
According to virologists, it is difficult to detect asymptomatic cases and they can be found out only after tracing the contacts of people who have tested positive, they say.
"The crucial aspect to combat the virus is to detect the symptoms early. However, 80% of the total number of cases are asymptomatic," said Dr. Anudita Bhargava, a noted Virology Expert at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur, Chhattisgarh state.
She further said that in order to trace the contacts, testing everyone is actually a daunting task.
"Although medical experts across the world have come together in this pandemic time and are inventing new and safer ways to carry out tests."
Another Virologist, Dr. Naga Suresh Veerapu, at the Department of Life Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, in Uttar Pradesh revealed there is a need to keep a special vigilance in the hot-spot areas so that there is no community transmission of the contagious virus.
"Speeding up the testing of the virus is required to ensure that people are safe, as next few days are really important for the country. Hotspots can become the hub of spreading of the virus so special attention should be given to those sealed areas," Dr. Veerapu said.
According to the Indian Health Ministry, as many as 543 people have lost their lives due to the infectious COVID-19 virus, while 2,546 people have recovered.
