Virus can infect cells in areas that are difficult to reach for immune system - epithelial cells lining the nasal mucosa for example - but they still would prod

Virus can infect cells in areas that are difficult to reach for immune system - epithelial cells lining the nasal mucosa for example - but they still would produce viral particles that could be sneezed on someone else. Indeed this paper found association between viral load and symptoms - hospitalized patients are shedding less virus https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7332909/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7332909/