Friday Q&A: silent spread of COVID; full body MRI; Ambien risks; & quantifying risk
It's a hodgepodge of subscriber questions!
ICYMI 👉
Question #1 (about the silent spread of COVID) is free for everyone. Questions #2-4 (about full body MRIs; Ambien; and quantifying COVID risk) are for paid subscribers only.
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Disclaimer: The views expressed here are entirely my own. They do not reflect those of my employer, nor are they a substitute for advice from your personal physician.
QUESTION #1: THE SILENT SPREAD OF COVID
The “silent spread” of COVID was a big thing in 2020. It was the reason to take precautions if we didn’t feel sick. What about now? How likely is someone who is not sick to silently spread the virus?
-Andrew
Funny you should ask, Andrew! It’s no mystery that viruses—COVID, flu and other respiratory viruses—can spread among people who are not symptomatic. But the degree to which “silent spread” of COVID happens has been an open question for 3.5 years.
Two brand new studies—one out of the UK and the other from Stanford University—studied people who had a positive COVID PCR test and no symptoms. Both showed that viral infectivity (i.e. “contagiousness”) was rare. In fact, the Stanford researchers found that 96% of people who tested positive on a COVID PCR test and did not have symptoms were not infectious.
Is it possible to spread COVID without feeling sick? Absolutely! But if you don’t feel sick, you probably aren’t going to.
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QUESTION #2: FULL BODY MRI
Should I get a full-body MRI? I read that getting one can catch cancer early. Why wouldn’t I want that? -Liliann
Hi Liliann,
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