Coronavirus Study: One Traveler from China Infected 39 People in Washington State

A single traveler from China infected 39 people in Washington state with China’s coronavirus, according to virus expert Trevor Bedford.

“Thanks to sequencing by @UWVirology @CDCgov and @seattleflustudy we have genomes for 39 viruses sampled from WA,” he tweeted Tuesday. “Importantly 35 of these 39 viruses (90%) fall into a single genetic cluster indicating a single ~Jan introduction from China and subsequent local spread.”

Bedford runs a research laboratory Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

His tweets show how similar mutations in China’s “#SARSCoV2 / #HCoV9 virus” — can be used to track the passage of a particular virus from one individual to others. The chart marks the original carrier and the subsequent victims in red.

More