A ‘super spreader’ Solo theory for virus

A MYSTERY super spreader is being suggested as the source of coronavirus outbreaks that have plunged 36 Melbourne suburbs back into lockdown.

Health minister Jenny Mikakos on Friday said she had demanded answers about the surging cases in Melbourne’s north and west over the past fortnight, before flagging the possibility a super spreader was responsible.

“On Tuesday, I received a briefing of a genomic sequencing report that seems to suggest … a single source of infection for many of the cases … across the northern and western suburbs of Melbourne,” Ms Mikakos said.

“There appears to be even potentially a super spreader that has caused this upsurge in cases. We don’t have the full picture yet.”

Victoria’s deputy chief health officer Annaliese van Diemen said the super spreader notion was only one theory for the rise, based on gene sequencing data.

“We don’t have definitive evidence that there has been a single super spreader,” Dr van Diemen said. “What we have evidence (for) is that the current outbreak is possibly looking more like what we call a point-source outbreak.

“One of the possibilities that can do that is a person who is particularly infectious who attends multiple areas in multiple places.

“This is a possible epidemiological theory about one of the things that may have caused this outbreak; there is not an identified super spreader at this point in time.”

Dr van Diemen said the infections could also have been caused by multiple sources coming into the state, as happened in March when returning overseas travellers brought the pandemic’s first wave. It is believed most, if not all, of the coronavirus now circulating in the state may be linked to the hotel outbreaks.

Since the end of March 1400 Victorians have been confirmed as having COVID-19.