Member-only story
A Few Superspreaders May Cause 80% of Covid-19 Infections
Here’s what you should know
What you need to know about superspreaders. Individuals who are responsible for a large number of Covid-19 infections are called “superspreaders,” and data increasingly suggests they play a key role in the pandemic. Writer Robert Roy Britt reports for Elemental:
“Superspreaders,” as they’re called, may or may not know they are sick, but by going places where a lot of other people are packed into a relatively confined space, they can cause Covid-19 outbreaks in which dozens or even hundreds of other newly infected people spread the disease ever outward, among family, friends, or colleagues — all before anyone knows they’re sick.
One problem is that there’s no way to identify who is a superspreader before they infect people. Read more below.