Nine out of 10 coronavirus patients in Karachi are asymptomatic, AKU study transpires

(Karachi) A new study by researchers of Aga Khan University transpired that more than nine out of 10 people infected with coronavirus in Karachi experience no symptoms of the disease or are asymptomatic. More than 2,000 participants participated in the first two phases of the study.

Karachi, which is considered as one of the epicentres of COVID-19, reported the most cases in Pakistan. The study focussed COVID-19’s prevalence in parts of the city with high and low rates of transmission in April and June 2020.

The AKU researchers found that 95 percent of those who tested positive for COVID-19 through blood tests, which register the presence of antibodies to fight the disease, reported feeling no symptoms of the illness such as a cough, fever or sore throat. They were asymptomatic.

They said asymptomatic cases in Pakistan are much higher than the developed world. Results also indicate that children and adolescents are just as likely to catch the disease as adults. Men and women face the same risk of being infected.

The study also confirmed a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases between April and June 2019 from 0.2 percent to 8.7 percent in low community transmission areas and from 0.4 percent to 15.1 percent in high community transmission sites.

"Understanding how, when and in what types of settings, COVID-19 spreads is critical to developing effective public health and infection prevention measures to break chains of transmission," researchers said.

They added, “The sharp increase in antibody levels in an area with low reported cases indicates that the virus continues to spread unchecked in populations where testing rates are sub-optimal.”

They said, "Antibody testing or seroprevalence provides a true picture of the burden of COVID-19 as they capture asymptomatic cases who represent silent carriers of the disease."

Pakistan is witnessing a drop in COVID-19 cases for the past few weeks. The government has lifted restrictions and lockdowns imposed across the country and allowed resumption of business activity. Though, cases are being reported daily in the country, experts said it is unlikely the disease would re-merge with its previous intensity.