Why do some COVID-19 patients infect many others, whereas most don’t spread the virus at all? | Science | AAAS

Why do some COVID-19 patients infect many others, whereas most don’t spread the virus at all? | Science | AAAS



The science of superspreaders
Why do some people with COVID-19 infect many others, whereas most don’t spread the virus at all? Epidemiologists have been looking at superspreading events — large clusters of cases linked to a specific location or gathering, or even to a single person — to try to understand the factors that affect how the virus spreads in different settings. “If you can predict what circumstances are giving rise to these events, the math shows you can really, very quickly curtail the ability of the disease to spread,” says infectious-disease specialist Jamie Lloyd-Smith.
Science | 8 min read