Source: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20211005/Connection-between-aerosol-transmission-and-COVID-19-dynamics.aspx
Superspreading events and overdispersion are characteristics of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, similar to other outbreaks of respiratory viruses. Here, the term “superspreading” refers to any event that leads to more than the average number of secondary transmissions. In the context of communicable diseases, “overdispersion” implies a non-random pattern of clustering, involving a large number of zero cases and a small number of larger outbreaks. At individual-level variation, superspreading events present as overdispersion in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmissions, with 10-20% of index cases responsible for 80% of secondary cases. Hence, understanding the nature and characteristics of superspreading events is a key to comprehending and predicting SARS-CoV-2 spread.
