Pre-symptomatic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection: a secondary analysis using published data

Objective

To estimate the proportion of pre-symptomatic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection that can occur and timing of transmission relative to symptom onset.

Setting/design

Secondary analysis of international published data.

Data sources

Meta-analysis of COVID-19 incubation period and a rapid systematic review of serial interval and generation time, which are published separately.

Participants

Studies were selected for analysis if they had transparent methods and data sources and they provided enough information to simulate full distributions of serial interval or generation time. Twenty-three estimates of serial interval and five of generation time from 17 publications were included.

Methods

Simulations were generated of incubation period and of serial interval or generation time. From these, transmission times relative to symptom onset were calculated and the proportion of pre-symptomatic transmission was estimated.

Outcome measures

Transmission time of SARS-CoV-2 relative to symptom onset and proportion of pre-symptomatic transmission.

Results

Transmission time ranged from a mean of 2.91 (95% CI: 3.18-2.64) days before symptom onset to 1.20 (0.86-1.55) days after symptom onset. Unweighted pooling of estimates of transmission time based on serial interval resulted in a mean of 0.60 days before symptom onset (3.01 days before to 1.81 days after). Proportion of pre-symptomatic transmission ranged from 42.8% (39.8%-45.9%) to 80.6% (78.1%-83.0%). The proportion of pre-symptomatic transmission from pooled estimates was 56.4% (34.9%-78.0%).

Conclusions

Whilst contact rates between symptomatic infectious and susceptible people are likely to influence the proportion of pre-symptomatic transmission, there is substantial potential for pre-symptomatic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a range of different contexts. Our work suggests that transmission is most likely in the day before symptom onset whereas estimates suggesting most pre-symptomatic transmission highlighted mean transmission times almost three days before symptom onset. This highlights the need for rapid case detection, contact tracing and quarantine.

Strengths and weaknesses of this study

• We estimate the extent and variation of pre-symptomatic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection across a range of contexts. This provides important information for development and targeting of control policies and for the parameterisation of transmission models.

• This is a secondary analysis using simulations based on published data, some of which is in pre-print form and not yet peer-reviewed. There is overlap in the contact tracing data that informed some of our source publications. We partially address this by summarising data at source location level as well as at study level.

• Populations where symptomatic people are rapidly isolated are likely have relatively more pre-symptomatic transmission. This should be borne in mind whilst interpreting our results, but does not affect our finding that there is substantial potential for pre-symptomatic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

• A strength of our approach is that it builds an understanding of pre-symptomatic transmission from a range of estimates in the literature, facilitates discussion for the drivers of variation between them, and highlights the consistent message that consideration of pre-symptomatic transmission is critical for COVID-19 control policy.