The SARS-CoV-2 transmission riddle - Part 1

By our reckoning, 6.6 billion SARs-CoV-2 tests have been done worldwide. Such use, on an industrial scale, is unprecedented and helped distort perceptions.

Fascinated by the explosive nature of the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Lombardy and nearby Veneto in the late winter of 2020, we discussed what circumstances favour the rapid spread of an agent. 

At the time, we did not realise that “cases” were defined as PCR positivity alone without any reference to viral load or the properties of the test. Therefore,…