The Timing of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission and Viral Load Dynamics
Tuesday, December 8th, 2020
9 AM PST / 12 PM EST
Co-hosted with The Big Data Institute at
The University of Oxford
Overview
Our first event is a presentation and discussion with Dr. Luca Ferretti, the lead author of a seminal study published in Science demonstrating the potential effectiveness of digital contact tracing mobile apps. He will be presenting his latest research on the transmission dynamics of COVID-19.
Understanding the timing of COVID-19 transmission is key to assess the risk of transmission in the context of both manual and digital contact tracing. Dr. Ferretti will present a detailed analysis of the risk of transmission at different times post infections, integrating data from multiple contact tracing studies. The peak of transmission is closely linked to the onset of symptoms, but the profile of pre-symptomatic infectiousness depends on the length of the incubation period. The infectiousness profile is also strongly dependent on the viral load dynamics during infections. He will present a combined model of individual viral load and infectiousness, informed by multiple datasets, with the aim to elucidate the relation between these two key aspects of SARS-CoV-2 infections.
Meet the Speaker

Luca Ferretti
Senior Researcher in Pathogen Dynamics at the Big Data Institute, University of Oxford
Dr. Luca Ferretti's research focuses on the interplay of epidemiology, genetics, evolution and within-host dynamics in HIV and other viral pathogens such as FMDV, ASF and SARS-CoV-2. He is a member of the task-force against COVID-19 of the Italian Ministry of Innovation and the Test & Trace program in the UK, and has actively supported the development of contact-tracing apps in Italy, England and Wales.
Coordinating Committee Chair
Joanna Masel, PhD
Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at The University of Arizona
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