Recent research has found the same levels of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, exist in people who test positive whether they have symptoms or not. In light of this, the Food and Drug Administration has granted LabCorp an emergency use authorization to test asymptomatic people, not just those who have symptoms, NBC News reports.

The FDA published a news release on July 24 that reissued the LabCorp RT-PCR test emergency use authorization to include two new indications that include testing people who don’t have any COVID-19 symptoms, or who have no reason to suspect an infection, and also to test a general sample of asymptomatic people to help pool resources and results.

A recent study by NYU Langone Health revealed that people who are the least symptomatic of COVID-19 may have the highest viral load or quantity of the coronavirus and can be the most dangerous transmitters of disease, according to Scienmag.

According to researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, evidence indicates that people with COVID-19 may be most contagious in the 48-72 hours before symptoms are noticeable. The MIT scientists say that up to 25% of infected individuals remain asymptomatic and may unwittingly infect others.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that decisions about testing for COVID-19 are made by state and local health departments or healthcare providers.