October 1, 2020

Epidemiology and Transmission Dynamics of COVID-19 in Two Indian States

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Transmission

Keywords (Tags): public health

• SARS-CoV-2 contact investigations in two Indian states showed a younger age distribution of COVID-19 cases and deaths than has been previously reported in the United States, and these differences are not attributed to underlying age differences in the general population. Among 575,071 contacts exposed to 84,965 confirmed cases, the secondary attack rate ranged from 5% for low-risk contacts (in the proximity of index cases but did not meet criteria for high-risk exposure) to 11% for high-risk contacts (close social contact or direct physical contact with index cases without protective measures). Infection risks were significantly higher among similar-age contacts, and individuals in most age groups who tested positive were exposed to an index case between age 20-44 years. COVID-19 mortality increased with each age group before plateauing at age groups ≥65 years, in contrast to the United States where COVID-19 mortality plateaued at ages ≥85 years.

Laxminarayan et al. (Sept 30, 2020). Epidemiology and Transmission Dynamics of COVID-19 in Two Indian States. Science. https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/09/29/science.abd7672