Epidemiology and transmission of COVID-19 in cases and close contacts in Georgia

Georgia reported their first confirmed case of COVID-19 on the 26th of February 2020. As of the 2^nd of July 2020, only 939 confirmed cases and 15 deaths were reported. The success of Georgia’s limitation of the spread of COVID-19 can likely be attributed to early interventions such as closing of schools and businesses, the hospitalization of all confirmed cases, and extensive contact tracing. We analysed data from people diagnosed with COVID-19 in Georgia and found that the majority (88%) of patients had mild or moderate symptoms. On average, each confirmed case had 3 contacts that were tested (range 1-30), and 26% of these tested contacts also tested positive for COVID-19, which corresponded to 0.86 new people infected by each confirmed case. The age group of the contact had an impact on the odds of transmission, with contacts younger than 40 years old approximately 40% less likely to be infected compared to contacts in their 50s. Family members of contacts were the most likely contact type to be infected, with co-workers 50% less likely, friends 60% less likely, and neighbours 80% less likely than family members to be infected.