Superspreading

The concept of superspreading is not new and played a role in the SARS epidemic in Asia in 2002–03. The Washington Post reported that one man admitted to a hospital infected 156 clinical staff and visitors. The disease, marked by trouble breathing, high fever and cough, was responsible for 40 percent of deaths in more than two dozen countries.

Our findings indicate that superspreading is a normal feature of disease spread[…]

We found that superspreading has overwhelmingly contributed to the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the city overall. Of the 349 local cases we identified — the remaining 689 cases were imported from other territories — 196 were linked to just six superspreading events.