Delivery of infection from asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 in a familial cluster

Ye, Feng; Xu, Shicai; Rong, Zhihua; Xu, Ronghua; Liu, Xiaowei; Deng, Pingfu; Liu, Hai; Xu, Xuejun

OBJECTIVES: With the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 around the world, it has become a worldwide health concern. One previous study reported a family cluster with asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19. Here, we report another series of cases and further demonstrate the repeatability of the transmission of COVID-19 by pre-symptomatic carriers. METHODS: A familial cluster of five patients associated with COVID-19 was enrolled in the hospital. We collected epidemiological and clinical characteristics, laboratory outcomes from electronic medical records, and also affirmed them with the patients and their families. RESULTS: Among them, three family members (Case 3/4/5) had returned from Wuhan. Additionally, two family members, those who had not travelled to Wuhan, also contracted COVID-19 after contacting with the other three family members. Case 1 developed severe pneumonia and was admitted to the ICU. Case 3 and Case 5 presented fever and cough on days 2 through 3 of hospitalization and had ground-glass opacity changes in their lungs. Case 4 presented with diarrhoea and pharyngalgia after admission without radiographic abnormalities. Case 2 presented no clinical or radiographic abnormalities. All the cases had an increasing level of C-reactive protein. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that COVID-19 can be transmitted by asymptomatic carriers during the incubation period.