SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) by the numbers

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is a harsh reminder of the fact that, whether in a single human host or a wave of infection across continents, viral dynamics is often a story about the numbers. In this article we provide a one-stop, curated graphical source for the key numbers (based mostly on the peer-reviewed literature) about the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is responsible for the pandemic. The discussion is framed around two broad themes: i) the biology of the virus itself; ii) the characteristics of the infection of a single human host.

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Most cited references 59

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A Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China, 2019

Na Zhu, Dingyu Zhang, Wenling Wang … (2020)

Summary In December 2019, a cluster of patients with pneumonia of unknown cause was linked to a seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, China. A previously unknown betacoronavirus was discovered through the use of unbiased sequencing in samples from patients with pneumonia. Human airway epithelial cells were used to isolate a novel coronavirus, named 2019-nCoV, which formed a clade within the subgenus sarbecovirus, Orthocoronavirinae subfamily. Different from both MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, 2019-nCoV is the seventh member of the family of coronaviruses that infect humans. Enhanced surveillance and further investigation are ongoing. (Funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China and the National Major Project for Control and Prevention of Infectious Disease in China.)

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Early Transmission Dynamics in Wuhan, China, of Novel Coronavirus–Infected Pneumonia

Qun Li, Xuhua Guan, Peng Wu … (2020)

Abstract Background The initial cases of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)–infected pneumonia (NCIP) occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019 and January 2020. We analyzed data on the first 425 confirmed cases in Wuhan to determine the epidemiologic characteristics of NCIP. Methods We collected information on demographic characteristics, exposure history, and illness timelines of laboratory-confirmed cases of NCIP that had been reported by January 22, 2020. We described characteristics of the cases and estimated the key epidemiologic time-delay distributions. In the early period of exponential growth, we estimated the epidemic doubling time and the basic reproductive number. Results Among the first 425 patients with confirmed NCIP, the median age was 59 years and 56% were male. The majority of cases (55%) with onset before January 1, 2020, were linked to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, as compared with 8.6% of the subsequent cases. The mean incubation period was 5.2 days (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.1 to 7.0), with the 95th percentile of the distribution at 12.5 days. In its early stages, the epidemic doubled in size every 7.4 days. With a mean serial interval of 7.5 days (95% CI, 5.3 to 19), the basic reproductive number was estimated to be 2.2 (95% CI, 1.4 to 3.9). Conclusions On the basis of this information, there is evidence that human-to-human transmission has occurred among close contacts since the middle of December 2019. Considerable efforts to reduce transmission will be required to control outbreaks if similar dynamics apply elsewhere. Measures to prevent or reduce transmission should be implemented in populations at risk. (Funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and others.)

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Cryo-EM structure of the 2019-nCoV spike in the prefusion conformation

Daniel Wrapp, Nianshuang Wang, Kizzmekia S. Corbett … (2020)

Structure of the nCoV trimeric spike The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak of a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) to be a public health emergency of international concern. The virus binds to host cells through its trimeric spike glycoprotein, making this protein a key target for potential therapies and diagnostics. Wrapp et al. determined a 3.5-angstrom-resolution structure of the 2019-nCoV trimeric spike protein by cryo–electron microscopy. Using biophysical assays, the authors show that this protein binds at least 10 times more tightly than the corresponding spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)–CoV to their common host cell receptor. They also tested three antibodies known to bind to the SARS-CoV spike protein but did not detect binding to the 2019-nCoV spike protein. These studies provide valuable information to guide the development of medical counter-measures for 2019-nCoV. Science, this issue p. 1260

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Author and article information

Contributors

Ron Milo:

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1641-2299

Michael B Eisen: Role: Senior Editor

Michael B Eisen: Role: Reviewing Editor

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): eLife

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Elife

Journal ID (publisher-id): eLife

Title: eLife

Publisher: eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd

ISSN (Electronic): 2050-084X

Publication date (Electronic, pub): 02 April 2020

Publication date Collection: 2020

Volume: 9

Electronic Location Identifier: e57309

Affiliations

[1 ]Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science RehovotIsrael

[2 ]Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley BerkeleyUnited States

[3 ]Department of Physics, Department of Applied Physics, and the Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology PasadenaUnited States

[4 ]Chan Zuckerberg Biohub San FranciscoUnited States

HHMI, University of California, Berkeley United States

Author information

Yinon M Bar-On https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8477-609X

Avi Flamholz https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9278-5479

Rob Phillips https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3082-2809

Ron Milo https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1641-2299

Article

Publisher ID: 57309

DOI: 10.7554/eLife.57309

PMC ID: 7224694

PubMed ID: 32228860

SO-VID: 3c514a53-f651-4343-ae6d-db5646fd9731

License:

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.

History

Date received : 27 March 2020

Date accepted : 30 March 2020

Funding

Funded by: FundRef http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000002, National Institutes of Health;

Award ID: 1R35 GM118043-01 (Maximizing Investigators Research Award)

Award Recipient : Rob Phillips

Funded by: FundRef http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001735, Weizmann Institute of Science;

Award ID: Charles and Louise Gartner professorial chair

Award Recipient : Ron Milo

Funded by: The Azrieli Foundation;

Award ID: Azrieli Fellow

Award Recipient : Yinon M Bar-On

The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.

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Author impact statement Key numbers about the biology of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the infection of a single human host by the virus have been compiled from the peer-reviewed literature.

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ScienceOpen disciplines: Life sciences

Keywords: sars-cov-2,coronavirus,virology,infectious disease,epidemiology,quantitative biology,human

Data availability:

ScienceOpen disciplines: Life sciences

Keywords: sars-cov-2, coronavirus, virology, infectious disease, epidemiology, quantitative biology, human

SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) by the numbers

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Abstract

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Novel Coronavirus Disease COVID-19

Most cited references 59

A Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China, 2019

Early Transmission Dynamics in Wuhan, China, of Novel Coronavirus–Infected Pneumonia

Cryo-EM structure of the 2019-nCoV spike in the prefusion conformation

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