Transmission frequency of COVID-19 through pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in AJK: a report of 201 cases
Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic is a catastrophic global phenomenon, affecting human life in a way unseen since the 1918 influenza pandemic. Effective management of this threat requires halting transmission, a strategy requiring accurate knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 transmission patterns. Metho...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2021-07-01
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| Series: | Virology Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12985-021-01609-w |
| _version_ | 1818655348387479552 |
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| author | Majid Mahmood Noor-ul-ain Ilyas Muhammad Faraz Khan Muhammad Naseem Hasrat Nicholas Richwagen |
| author_facet | Majid Mahmood Noor-ul-ain Ilyas Muhammad Faraz Khan Muhammad Naseem Hasrat Nicholas Richwagen |
| author_sort | Majid Mahmood |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic is a catastrophic global phenomenon, affecting human life in a way unseen since the 1918 influenza pandemic. Effective management of this threat requires halting transmission, a strategy requiring accurate knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 transmission patterns. Methods This was a retrospective contact study aiming to estimate the transmission rate of COVID-19 by tracing contacts in symptomatic, pre-symptomatic, and asymptomatic patients. History of patients’ contacts during 24 h before appearance of symptoms or infection confirmation was traced for disease transmission. Results Overall, a total of 201 COVID-19 patients had contact with 7168 people in 24 h with an average of 35.66 contacts per patient, ranging from a minimum of 4 to maximum of 87 contacts (meetings). Out of 7168 persons met, infection was detected in 64 (0.89%). For the 155 symptomatic patients, a total of 5611 contacted persons were traced before appearance of symptoms (pre-symptomatic) in last 24 h with an average of 36.20 meetings per patient. The infection was transmitted in 63 (1.12%) people with 5548 (98.88%) remaining uninfected. Out of the 63 transmissions, 62 (98.4%) were traced within 6 h before symptom onset, while only 1 was identified in the 6–12 h timeframe before symptoms. A total of 1557 persons were traced having meeting/contacts with asymptomatic cases in last 24 h before infection confirmation. Out of these 1557 persons, only 1 was found to be infected and the infection rate was calculated to be 0.06%. Statistically, the transmission rate by pre-symptomatic patients was found to be significantly higher than the transmission rate by asymptomatic individuals (P < 0.05). Conclusion In the studied population, the risk of pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19 was low, with transmission risks of 1.12% and 0.06% respectively. Pre-symptomatic infection becomes very rare in contacts made longer than 6 h before onset of symptoms. The infection transmission is traced as long as about 9 h before the appearance of clear symptoms in the patients, but the incidence rate was as low as about 0.02% of the total contacts in that period. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T03:08:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f93fb95effbb4b4e85cb987b665e768c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1743-422X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T03:08:16Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Virology Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-f93fb95effbb4b4e85cb987b665e768c2022-12-21T22:05:54ZengBMCVirology Journal1743-422X2021-07-011811810.1186/s12985-021-01609-wTransmission frequency of COVID-19 through pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in AJK: a report of 201 casesMajid Mahmood0Noor-ul-ain Ilyas1Muhammad Faraz Khan2Muhammad Naseem Hasrat3Nicholas Richwagen4Department of Zoology, University of Poonch RawalakotDepartment of Zoology, University of Poonch RawalakotDepartment of Botany, University of Poonch RawalakotSheikh Khalifa Bin Zayd Al-Nahyan DHQ HospitalCollege of Medicine, University of Central FloridaAbstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic is a catastrophic global phenomenon, affecting human life in a way unseen since the 1918 influenza pandemic. Effective management of this threat requires halting transmission, a strategy requiring accurate knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 transmission patterns. Methods This was a retrospective contact study aiming to estimate the transmission rate of COVID-19 by tracing contacts in symptomatic, pre-symptomatic, and asymptomatic patients. History of patients’ contacts during 24 h before appearance of symptoms or infection confirmation was traced for disease transmission. Results Overall, a total of 201 COVID-19 patients had contact with 7168 people in 24 h with an average of 35.66 contacts per patient, ranging from a minimum of 4 to maximum of 87 contacts (meetings). Out of 7168 persons met, infection was detected in 64 (0.89%). For the 155 symptomatic patients, a total of 5611 contacted persons were traced before appearance of symptoms (pre-symptomatic) in last 24 h with an average of 36.20 meetings per patient. The infection was transmitted in 63 (1.12%) people with 5548 (98.88%) remaining uninfected. Out of the 63 transmissions, 62 (98.4%) were traced within 6 h before symptom onset, while only 1 was identified in the 6–12 h timeframe before symptoms. A total of 1557 persons were traced having meeting/contacts with asymptomatic cases in last 24 h before infection confirmation. Out of these 1557 persons, only 1 was found to be infected and the infection rate was calculated to be 0.06%. Statistically, the transmission rate by pre-symptomatic patients was found to be significantly higher than the transmission rate by asymptomatic individuals (P < 0.05). Conclusion In the studied population, the risk of pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19 was low, with transmission risks of 1.12% and 0.06% respectively. Pre-symptomatic infection becomes very rare in contacts made longer than 6 h before onset of symptoms. The infection transmission is traced as long as about 9 h before the appearance of clear symptoms in the patients, but the incidence rate was as low as about 0.02% of the total contacts in that period.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12985-021-01609-wCOVID-19COVID-19 transmissionCOVID-19 patientsPre-symptomaticAsymptomaticAJK |
| spellingShingle | Majid Mahmood Noor-ul-ain Ilyas Muhammad Faraz Khan Muhammad Naseem Hasrat Nicholas Richwagen Transmission frequency of COVID-19 through pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in AJK: a report of 201 cases Virology Journal COVID-19 COVID-19 transmission COVID-19 patients Pre-symptomatic Asymptomatic AJK |
| title | Transmission frequency of COVID-19 through pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in AJK: a report of 201 cases |
| title_full | Transmission frequency of COVID-19 through pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in AJK: a report of 201 cases |
| title_fullStr | Transmission frequency of COVID-19 through pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in AJK: a report of 201 cases |
| title_full_unstemmed | Transmission frequency of COVID-19 through pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in AJK: a report of 201 cases |
| title_short | Transmission frequency of COVID-19 through pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in AJK: a report of 201 cases |
| title_sort | transmission frequency of covid 19 through pre symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in ajk a report of 201 cases |
| topic | COVID-19 COVID-19 transmission COVID-19 patients Pre-symptomatic Asymptomatic AJK |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12985-021-01609-w |
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