Thousands of Covid-like infections show risk of next pandemic

A computer image shows a structural model representative of a betacoronavirus, which is the type of virus linked to Covid-19. - REUTERS/NEXU SCIENCE COMMUNICATION

SINGAPORE (Bloomberg): Hundreds of thousands of people may be infected annually by animals carrying coronaviruses related to the one that causes Covid-19 each year in China and South-east Asia, according to a study emphasising the ongoing pandemic threat from spillover events.

An average of 400,000 such infections occur annually, most going unrecognized because they cause mild or no symptoms and aren’t easily transmitted between people, researchers with the EcoHealth Alliance and Singapore’s Duke-NUS Medical School said in a study released Thursday (Sept 9) before peer review and publication.