Attribution of super-spreaders to the COVID-19 outbreak.

ABSTRACT: The explosive growth during the early stages and the sustained transmission in the later phases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may be closely linked to superspreading events (SSEs), yet in-depth research into their specific mechanisms and quantitative effects remains limited. This study, based on data from 4,519 COVID-19 cases across eight regions in China, reconstructed transmission chains and quantified key parameters such as the basic reproduction number (R ₀) and dispersion parameter (k), revealing a high degree of heterogeneity in COVID-19 transmission. The results showed that the majority of COVID-19 cases were mild, with female cases in some regions being significantly older than males. Epidemic curves were highly similar in geographical

SUBMITTER: Wang R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12802358 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature