Asymptomatic

In Asymptomatic (Johns Hopkins University Press), Weitz explores what made COVID-19 so difficult to contain. He highlights how silent transmission played a key role in the virus’s devastating, rapid spread across the world. Drawing on his expertise as a physicist-turned-biologist, Weitz combines scientific insights with a firsthand look at public health efforts to respond to the pandemic as it escalated. He examines the myriad challenges public health officials and researchers faced as they raced to debunk and understand competing narratives about the virus, from its potential to quickly dissipate to its long-term disruption of daily life. Through an analysis of local outbreaks, virus dynamics, and predictive models — all in accessible, understandable language. Asymptomatic offers an oft-overlooked perspective on how asymptomatic spread fueled this global crisis, offering expertise on the critical interventions needed to prevent future pandemics.