Pedestrians wear face coverings and protective masks as they cross Mains street, Monday, June 8, 2020, in the Flushing section of the Queens borough of New York. After three bleak months, New York City will try to turn a page when it begins reopening Monday after getting hit first by the coronavirus, then an outpouring of rage over racism and police brutality. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
A top World Health Organization expert has tried to clear up “misunderstandings” about comments she made that were widely understood to suggest that people without COVID-19 symptoms rarely transmit the coronavirus.
Maria Van Kerkhove, the UN health agency's technical lead on the virus pandemic, insisted Tuesday that she was referring only to a few studies, not a complete picture, in the comments she made Monday.
Van Kerkhove's remarks on Monday raised confusion and questions among outside experts and health officials who have recommended and in some places required that people wear masks to try to prevent the virus from spreading.
The “clarification” she provided during a WHO social-media chat showed many questions remain about whether infected people who don’t show symptoms of illness such as fever, dry cough or difficulty breathing can transmit the virus to others.
Van Kerkhove said: “What I was referring to yesterday were very few studies, some two or three studies that have been published, that actually try to follow asymptomatic cases.”
“That’s a very small subset of studies,” she continued. “I used the phrase ‘very rare,’ and I think that that’s (a) misunderstanding to state that asymptomatic transmission globally is very rare. What I was referring to was a subset of studies.”
Wondering what to watch this weekend? We suggest Beanie Babies, a very unfunny Steve Carell, a shark attack classic, and our first podcast partner pick!
Unesco called for a worldwide ban on smartphones in classrooms, claiming that excessive usage was linked to reduced educational performance and emotional problems.
Putting together a box of roses or any other type of flowers is a fun and creative task but even better when flowers last for a year like they dow at Rose Box NYC. Gal Yakir, head of operations and marketing specialist, joined Cheddar News to explain the process.
Rose Box NYC, a flower shop in New York City where rapper Cardi B has purchased from, helps arrange unique bouquets and provides attractive, preserved floral arrangements. Gal Yakir, head of operations and marketing specialist, spoke with Cheddar News behind its process.
