Viral Transmission and Clinical Features in Asymptomatic Carriers of SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan, China

We report the clinical characteristics, viral shedding duration, and contact tracing for asymptomatic carriers of SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan, China The asymptomatic carriers were relatively young (median age: 34 5 years) Chest computed tomography showed no abnormalities The nasopharyngeal swab was an optimum specimen for RNA testing The median viral shedding duration was 11 5 days Notably, 2 months of viral shedding duration were reported in two nurses, which was much longer than previously reported or than usually thought The transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 by asymptomatic carriers during the studied period in Wuhan appeared to be weak Only one patient (1/12) was found to have transmitted the virus to another person Early asymptomatic carrier detection, isolation, and contact tracing could be useful to mitigate the spread of the disease