superspreading event

American  

[soo-per-spred-ing i-vent] / ˈsu pərˌsprɛd ɪŋ ɪˈvɛnt /

Or super-spreading event

noun

1. Pathology. an incidence of transmission of a highly active contagion to a larger number of people than average, often characterized by explosive growth of contracted illness early in an outbreak and sustained transmission thereafter.

   Our findings strongly suggest that a superspreading event occurred during the wedding, as a number of the guests have fallen ill and are testing positive for the virus.

2. a social event or other, usually large, gathering of people that results in, or is likely to result in, a significant spreading of a highly active contagion, as during a pandemic.

   I support the home team as much as I ever did, but I won’t be attending any superspreading events.

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Etymology

Origin of superspreading event

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

The researchers say this supports the idea of the market as the origin, rather than the pandemic starting elsewhere with the market adding fuel to the fire in a superspreading event.

From BBC • Sep. 19, 2024

A company’s Christmas party in Oslo, Norway, that became a superspreading event.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 6, 2021

The milling throngs of desperate airline passengers were a perfect petri dish for a covid-19 superspreading event.

From Washington Post • Sep. 27, 2021

The event was widely criticized as a "superspreading event" last year amid the pandemic, when about 460,000 people attended.

From Fox News • Aug. 7, 2021

Memories are still fresh from March, when the carnival was derided as a superspreading event that turned the city into a coronavirus hot spot and overwhelmed its emergency rooms.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2021