Almost 40 per cent of people who tested positive for coronavirus across age groups were found to be asymptomatic, with the highest proposition among children, a recent data from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) revealed.

Nearly 73.5 per cent of the asymptomatic cases were reported among children below the age of 12, and the proportion decreased linearly with age, with 38.4 per cent of the asymptomatic cases among people of octogenarians, reported The Hindustan Times.

‘This is the data from our centre. The relevance comes in when we question the validity of an RT-PCR test. As there are no symptoms in many of the patients, we do not come to know on which day we are sampling them,’ the media quoted Dr Urvashi Singh, professor, department of microbiology at AIIMS.

AIIMS presented the data during a discussion at the recent National Grand Rounds, a virtual platform for doctors across the country to discuss the current trends and issues in coronavirus management.

The data stated the most common symptoms of COVID included fever, fatigue, and loss of smell. While reviewing the current detection tests available in the market, the doctors confirmed CBNAAT or TrueNat – cartridge – or chip-based quick molecular tests as beneficial for mild or semi-emergency patients.

The doctors also added that there were benefits of the less sensitive rapid antigen test as it can quickly help in screening and early diagnosis that can further help to get the patient a swift treatment. This is more beneficial for low resource setting centres, Dr Pawan Tiwari suggested.

The Indian Council of Medical Research recommends molecular tests as the preferred method in hospital settings.

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