# Pathogen spreading during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Understanding a global phenomenon

## TL;DR

This study analyzed news reports from early 2020 about people intentionally spreading the virus during the pandemic, highlighting the global occurrence and need for better understanding.

## Contribution

The study provides the first global analysis of intentional pathogen spreading during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Key findings

- Intentional pathogen spreading was reported in 14 countries across 5 continents during March to May 2020.
- Frontline workers and retail employees were the most common targets of such behavior.
- 43% of cases involved perpetrators claiming to be infected with SARS-CoV-2.

## Abstract

This study examined news media reports published during the early months of the COVID‐19 pandemic that described people spitting, coughing, and otherwise spreading respiratory fluids to other people and objects. A search of a news archive yielded more than 800 news articles published during March, April, and May, 2020, from which N = 325 cases of intentional pathogen spreading were identified. This was during the early part of the pandemic when the world was still trying to reach an understanding of how to deal with the pandemic. Collected news articles showed that cases of intentional pathogen spreading were reported to have occurred in 14 countries on 5 continents on most days (78.3%) of the 3‐month period considered. In 43% of cases, perpetrators claimed to be infected with the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus. Frontline key workers, passersby, and retail workers were the most frequent targets. The findings suggest that more needs to be learned about intentional pathogen spreading behavior, with the goals of reducing its occurrence in future pandemics and protecting vulnerable targets.