Abstract
We estimated the symptomatic, PCR-confirmed secondary attack rate (SAR) for 2,382 close contacts of 476 symptomatic persons with coronavirus disease in Yichang, Hubei Province, China, identified during January 23–February 25, 2020. The SAR among all close contacts was 6.5%; among close contacts who lived with an index case-patient, the SAR was 10.8%; among close-contact spouses of index case-patients, the SAR was 15.9%. The SAR varied by close contact age, from 3.0% for those <18 years of age to 12.5% for those >60 years of age. Multilevel logistic regression showed that factors significantly associated with increased SAR were living together, being a spouse, and being >60 years of age. Multilevel regression did not support SAR differing significantly by whether the most recent contact occurred before or after the index case-patient’s onset of illness (p = 0.66). The relatively high SAR for coronavirus disease suggests relatively high virus transmissibility.
Highlights
Transmissibility of an emerging infectious disease is a key factor for determining transmission dynamics in a population
The mean R0 of COVID-19 was estimated to be in the range of 1.90–6.49 [3], indicating a high contagiousness that led to its rapid spread across the world [4]
We conducted this study from January 23 through February 25, 2020, in Yichang, Hubei Province, China; the city has a population of ≈4 million
Summary
Transmissibility of an emerging infectious disease is a key factor for determining transmission dynamics in a population. Few estimates are available for the SAR for COVID-19 and its variation by type of contact, characteristics of index case-patients and contacts, and other factors. Gov.cn/xinwen/2020-01/23/content_5471768.htm), close contacts of COVID-19 case-patients were placed under 14-day quarantine for medical observation, during which time they would be tested by PCR for SARS-CoV-2 one time if illness symptoms developed
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have