Defining the role of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 transmission: a living systematic review

ABSTRACT

BackgroundReports suggest that asymptomatic individuals (those with no symptoms at all throughout the infection) with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are infectious, but the extent of asymptomatic transmission requires further understanding. PurposeThis living review aims to critically appraise available data about secondary attack rates from people with asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Data sourcesMedline, EMBASE, China Academic Journals full-text database (CNKI), and preprint servers were searched from 30 December 2019 to 3 July 2020 using relevant MESH terms. Study selectionStudies that report on contact tracing of index cases with asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, in either English or Chinese were included. Data extractionTwo authors independently extracted data and assessed study quality and risk of bias. We calculated the secondary attack rate as the number of contacts with SARS-CoV-2, divided by the number of contacts tested. Data synthesisOf 928 studies identified, 19 were included. Secondary attack rates from asymptomatic index cases ranged from 0% to 2.8% (9 studies). Pre-symptomatic secondary attack rates ranged from 0.7% to 31.8% (10 studies). The highest secondary attack rates were found in contacts who lived in the same household as the index case. Other activities associated with transmission were group activities such as sharing meals or playing board games with the index case. LimitationsWe excluded some studies because the index case or number of contacts were unclear. Owing to the anticipated heterogeneity, we did not produce a summary estimate of the included studies. ConclusionAsymptomatic patients can transmit SARS-CoV-2 to others, but our findings indicate that such individuals are responsible for fewer secondary infections than people with symptoms in the same studies. Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42020188168 FundingNo funding was received