A Missed Warning About Silent Coronavirus Infections

<p>At the end of January, long before the world understood that seemingly healthy people could spread the coronavirus, a doctor in Germany tried to sound the alarm. Today, we look at why that warning was unwelcome.</p><p>Guests: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/matt-apuzzo" target="_blank">Matt Apuzzo</a>, an investigative reporter for The New York Times based in Brussels.</p><p>Dr. Camilla Rothe, an infectious disease specialist at Munich University Hospital.</p><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily" target="_blank">nytimes.com/thedaily </a></p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>At the end of March, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/health/coronavirus-asymptomatic-transmission.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank"> warned that as many as 25 percent</a> of those infected by the coronavirus may not show symptoms.</li><li>Some scientists<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/health/coronavirus-asymptomatic-world-health-organization.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank"> have criticized the World Health Organization</a> over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying its statements and advice sometimes lag behind research.</li></ul>