Published online Jan 6, 2021. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i1.170
Peer-review started: March 30, 2020
First decision: September 24, 2020
Revised: October 2, 2020
Accepted: November 21, 2020
Article in press: November 21, 2020
Published online: January 6, 2021
Processing time: 277 Days and 10 Hours
At the end of 2019, a new epidemic of viral pneumonia emerged in China and was determined to be caused by a novel coronavirus, which was named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization. The epidemic quickly spread, causing a worldwide pandemic. Scientists and clinicians across the globe have shifted their research efforts towards understanding the virus itself and its epidemiology.
In mid-January 2020, a Chinese family made a visit to a local city, and within the next 2 wk one after another fell ill with COVID-19. At the beginning of their first illness onset, the family had eaten in a restaurant, which led to the subsequent illness onset in another two families. All cases were diagnosed as COVID-19 by real-time fluorescent reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Epidemiological investigation showed that the transmission chain was complete.
This chain of social exposure highlights the danger of group aggregative behavior for spread of COVID-19.
Core Tip: Since its first emergence at the end of 2019, we have gained limited knowledge about the coronavirus disease 2019 and its epidemiology. We investigated a group of aggregated cases, diagnosed by viral genetic testing (real-time fluorescent reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction), and characterized the epidemic characteristics of spread for such. The findings provide strong evidence for controlling human social behaviors to help mitigate the virus’s threat to human health.