According to a study conducted in South Korea, published in JAMA Internal Medicine , asymptomatic people just carry as much coronavirus in their nose, throat, and lungs as those who demonstrate the typical symptoms, The New York Times reported.

The researchers measured the virus’s genetic material in the patients and said the results strongly suggest that asymptomatic people are unwitting transmitters of the SARS-CoV-2.

The South Korean team of researchers studied samples from 193 symptomatic and 110 asymptomatic people who were admitted at a community treatment center in Cheonan. Of the initially asymptomatic patients, 30 per cent of the total did not demonstrate symptoms, while 21 developed symptoms.

The researchers tracked these asymptomatic people and found that the virus is present in the lungs as well as their noses and throats.

Commenting on the asymptomatic cases, infection biologist Dr Andrew Preston from the University of Bath, told BBC that the risk of catching coronavirus from anyone is dependent on a number of factors.

This includes how deeply and quickly the infected person was breathing, how close you were to them and for how long, and whether or not you were in a closed environment, he added.

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