The first outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, linked to a seafood market in Wuhan, China, was announced on 31 December 2019. By 22 January, 440 cases in 13 provinces in China, and in 5 other countries and regions overseas, had been confirmed. Among patients who were hospitalized, 25 have recovered and 4 have died. Dr Peng Wu and colleagues described the characteristics of the virus using the publicly available information at the time.
Key takeaways from the study:
- An average of 0.3 persons would catch the infection from one infected person
- The risk of death among hospitalised patients was 14%
- The source of infection was not known
- Sustained human-to-human transmission was occurring
Today, human-to-human transmission of the virus is confirmed. Research is ongoing to determine where this infection started and to identify the animal reservoir of the virus. This study provided an initial understanding of this novel infection, which is important to inform early interventions to contain its spread.
To read the original article published in Eurosurveillance, click here.
