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How Superspreaders Fueled COVID-19 Pandemic

April 14, 2020

You feel fine but you could still be spreading coronavirus (COVID-19) to others without knowing it.

People who have COVID-19 but show no symptoms are called “super” or “silent” spreaders because they can infect other people. In China, where COVID-19 first raged, a new study reveals that for every one person who tested positive for the disease, there were five to eight “superspreaders” who most likely infected the majority of known and more severe cases.

The research was referenced in a National Academy of Sciences letter in China, which stated, “Currently available research supports the possibility that COVID could spread via bioaerosols generated directly by patients’ exhalation.” Exhalation, the letter explained, includes breathing, singing, clearing the throat and touching the nose or eyes and then a door knob or other common surface.

A separate study, published mid-March in the journal Science, estimated that asymptomatic people are the source of infection for 79 percent of all documented cases. They come from two groups – the nearly 25 percent of people who are infected but never have symptoms and those whose symptoms do not show up until 48 hours after they are infected.

Research in China, published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, shows that 12.6 percent of COVID-19 transmissions occur before the source patient even showed symptoms.

The threat posed by superspreaders and silent spreaders are the main reason the Centers for Disease Control urges everyone to continue practicing social distancing, wash hands regularly, avoid touching the face and wear masks when outside the home, even if you have no symptoms of the virus.

“We don’t want to take our foot off the pedal and become complacent about social distancing,” said Dr. Ajay Kumar, chief clinical officer at Hartford HealthCare. “We have seen that it is working and keeping the numbers of hospitalized patients lower than originally anticipated.”

Not feeling well? Call your healthcare provider for guidance and try to avoid going directly to an emergency department or urgent care center, as this could increase the chances of the disease spreading.

Click here to schedule a virtual visit with a Hartford HealthCare-GoHealth Urgent care doctor.

Stay with Hartford HealthCare for everything you need to know about the coronavirus threat. Click here for information updated daily.

Questions? Call our 24-hour hotline (860.972.8100 or, toll-free, 833.621.0600). 

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