Characteristics of Household Transmission of COVID-19

Since December 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has extended to most parts of China with >80 000 cases and to at least 100 countries with >60 000 international cases as of 15 March 2020. Here we used a household cohort study to determine the features of household transmission of COVID-19.

A total of 105 index patients and 392 household contacts were enrolled. Both index patients and household members were tested by SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR. Information on all recruited individuals was extracted from medical records and confirmed or supplemented by telephone interviews. The baseline characteristics of index cases and contact patients were described. Secondary attack rates of SARS-CoV-2 to contact members were computed and the risk factors for transmission within the household were estimated.