And the evidence keeps rolling in that a lot more people than we currently estimate have had or have coronavirus infection. A new paper focuses on testing of a homeless population at a shelter in Boston. (Medrxiv Paper) 408 people were tested, 147 were positive or 36%. Common symptoms of infection were largely absent; cough was present in only 7.5%, shortness of breath in 1.4% and fever in .7%. So in a population that is likely not in good health, a large percentage had coronavirus infection, but less than 10% had any symptoms. At this point it is pretty apparent that the virus was highly transmissible and has infected a lot of people, but most with the result of no or mild symptoms.
Since we have ensured that we will have a lot more homeless people soon as a consequence of our draconian shutdowns, it probably is a good idea, as the authors suggest, to have universal coronavirus testing for homeless people.
