New research by a group of Hong Kong epidemiologists suggests the average person infected with coronavirus infects about two other people.
But 20% of coronavirus cases are ‘super spreaders’ with an infected person passing the virus onto many more people – result in 80% of transmissions.
The remaining 20% of transmissions were the result of just 10% of cases, where someone generally infected one or two other people in their households.
Looking at over 1,000 coronavirus cases in Hong Kong between January and April, the researchers found all of the ‘super spreader’ events involved indoor social gatherings.
Other studies also suggest the risk of coronavirus transmission is higher indoors in poorly ventilated spaces where lots of people have sustained contact – such as public transport, community facilities, religious services and social occasions.
With restrictions lifting around the country and many villages re-opening community facilities, it is a reminder that operators still need to be careful about gatherings of people of any size.
