Testing Reveals 'Stunning' Asymptomatic Coronavirus Spread Among Boston's Homeless

[LiberalArkie]

Doctors who work with Boston's homeless population are sounding the alarm about asymptomatic spread of the coronavirus and the need for more testing.

For the first weeks of the outbreak, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program tested only people who showed symptoms. A few dozen tested positive. There weren't enough test kits from the state to check everyone else.

Then the clinicians realized that a cluster of the people who had come up positive were staying at Boston's Pine Street Inn. So the state made testing kits available, and just over a week ago, Health Care for the Homeless tested everyone coming into that shelter.

The results? Out of 397 people tested, 146 (36%) came up positive. But even more surprising, they weren't showing any signs of sickness.

More

https://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2020/04/14/coronavirus-boston-homeless-testing

[bdamomma]

1. K&R

nt

[crickets]

2. More testing is needed everywhere, because likely this is happening everywhere. K&R

[Wounded Bear]

3. So much this...nt

[iluvtennis]

6. + agree. Testing by all workplaces, schools, universities, etc needs to be done before that

company/school/etc re-opens.

[mzmolly]

4. Wow.

[captain queeg]

5. It's that brilliant sneaky germ fearless leader told us about

[Igel]

7. That's similar to S. Korea's numbers.

Others have put it in the low 30s.

Some have put the estimate of asymptomatics at 11-13%, speculating that perhaps the difference in findings is due to presymptomatic sufferers.

Now, keeping in mind the % of false negatives ...

[liberalla]

8. Testing, testing, TESTING !!!

Damn it!

[cannabis_flower]

9. I'm not surprised

Houston just opened up testing for everyone that wants to be tested. Of course, on a first come first serve basis. You have to call first to get a spot. I called today and was told I have to call at 9am on Thursday because they had already booked Wednesday.

I have been mildly ill since March 12. This was 9 days after working the Democratic Primary where we were swamped from 7 am-9:30 pm and also drove for Uber for the Houston Rodeo Barbecue Cookoff and the Rodeo (March 4- March 10th).

It started out with a sore throat and a dry cough on Thursday, March 12. I went to substitute teach because I didn't have a fever and I had been scheduled. That day after I got off at 3 pm I went straight home and was exhausted. I woke up in the morning to the news that school had been canceled until April 10th (later extended to May 6th). I was ok with that because the sore throat was worse and I was achy and fatigued. Slept most of the day Friday and didn't Uber because I felt awful. Didn't Uber Saturday or Sunday either. Monday I felt a little better but my throat was still sore. I've only had a slight fever (99.7) on two days about a week after this started but I've felt sweaty and feverish many days. I also have had watery eyes and slight chest pain but nothing that would send me to the hospital. Most of the symptoms come and go, get worse at night and in the morning and get better in the afternoon. If I test positive it will be a relief because hopefully, if this is as bad as it gets for me, I will hopefully be immune after it passes. If I test negative I hope I can get the antibody test to see if I did have it.

Get ready to see a big jump in the number of cases from Houston in the next weeks just because so many people will now be able to get tested.

[SunSeeker]

10. And keep in mind the shitty CDC test we're using is giving 30-50% false negatives. nt

[nolabear]

11. It's a roulette wheel of a virus.

Jesus...everyone on earth is a potentially loaded gun.

[greenjar_01]

12. I'd bet that some areas are 40% infected with a large number asymptomatic

This small scale study is probably a model of what well developed community spread looks like everywhere. They come in at 36% infected with many asymptomatic. That's probably where we'll be. Early projections were 40% would get it, so that's pretty close.

[mysteryowl]

13. I vote for immunity testing.

Knowing if we are immune will be the ticket to open up the country.