2020Journal article

Substantial Undocumented Infection Facilitates the Rapid Dissemination of Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)

Li, R., Pei, S., Chen, B., Song, Y., Zhang, T., Yang, W., & Shaman, J.

Science, 368(6490), 489–493

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Research question

What role did undocumented infections play in the early spread of SARS-CoV-2?

Geographic scope

China · early COVID-19 epidemic

Evidence base

Mobility-informed epidemiological modelling

Approach

A transmission model informed by population movement estimates the contribution of infections that were not documented at the time.

Why it matters

The findings demonstrate why observed case counts alone can be insufficient for understanding disease spread through connected cities.

Research connections

Where this paper sits in the lab’s research system