COVID-19: Transmission within a family cluster by presymptomatic carriers in China
COVID-19: Transmission within a family cluster by presymptomatic carriers in China. Spencer EA, Heneghan C.
https://www.cebm.net/study/covid-19-transmission-within-a-family-cluster-by-presymptomatic-carriers-in-china/
Published on July 23, 2020
Included in
Transmission Dynamics of COVID-19
| Reference |
Guoqing Qian, Naibin Yang, Ada Hoi Yan Ma, Liping Wang, Guoxiang Li, Xueqin Chen, Xiaomin Chen. COVID-19 Transmission Within a Family Cluster by Presymptomatic Carriers in China Clinical Infectious Diseases. ciaa316 2020 |
| Study type |
|
| Country |
China |
| Setting |
Family |
| Funding Details |
Supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province |
| Transmission mode |
Presymptomatic |
| Exposures |
Family contacts |
Bottom Line
Within a family cluster of eight cases among nine family members, clinical manifestations varied from asymptomatic to severe pneumonia, and timing of symptom onset varied.
Evidence Summary
Among nine family members, eight were laboratory-confirmed with COVID-19, and a 6-year-old child had no evidence of infection.
Among the eight cases, one adult and a 13-month-old infant were asymptomatic; one adult was diagnosed as having severe pneumonia.
What did they do?
A family cluster of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by a presymptomatic case. 9 family members lived in three households, in Zhejiang province, outside Wuhan.
Study reliability
This is a report of a small cluster of cases within one family.
| Clearly defined setting |
Demographic characteristics described |
Follow-up length was sufficient |
Transmission outcomes assessed |
Main biases are taken into consideration |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes
|
No |
What else should I consider?
About the authors
Carl Heneghan
Carl is Professor of EBM & Director of CEBM at the University of Oxford. He is also a GP and tweets @carlheneghan. He has an active interest in discovering the truth behind health research findings
Elizabeth Spencer
Dr Elizabeth Spencer; MMedSci, PhD. Epidemiologist, Nuffield Department for Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford.
