Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

CDC: How COVID-19 Spreads - Updated Oct. 5, 2020

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • CDC: How COVID-19 Spreads - Updated Oct. 5, 2020




    How COVID-19 Spreads


    Updated Oct. 5, 2020

    COVID-19 is thought to spread mainly through close contact from person to person, including between people who are physically near each other (within about 6 feet). People who are infected but do not show symptoms can also spread the virus to others. We are still learning about how the virus spreads and the severity of illness it causes.
    COVID-19 spreads very easily from person to person


    How easily a virus spreads from person to person can vary. The virus that causes COVID-19 appears to spread more efficiently than influenza but not as efficiently as measles, which is among the most contagious viruses known to affect people.

    COVID-19 most commonly spreads during close contact
    • People who are physically near (within 6 feet) a person with COVID-19 or have direct contact with that person are at greatest risk of infection.
    • When people with COVID-19 cough, sneeze, sing, talk, or breathe they produce respiratory droplets. These droplets can range in size from larger droplets (some of which are visible) to smaller droplets. Small droplets can also form particles when they dry very quickly in the airstream.
    • Infections occur mainly through exposure to respiratory droplets when a person is in close contact with someone who has COVID-19.
    • Respiratory droplets cause infection when they are inhaled or deposited on mucous membranes, such as those that line the inside of the nose and mouth.
    • As the respiratory droplets travel further from the person with COVID-19, the concentration of these droplets decreases. Larger droplets fall out of the air due to gravity. Smaller droplets and particles spread apart in the air.
    • With passing time, the amount of infectious virus in respiratory droplets also decreases.
    COVID-19 can sometimes be spread by airborne transmission
    • Some infections can be spread by exposure to virus in small droplets and particles that can linger in the air for minutes to hours. These viruses may be able to infect people who are further than 6 feet away from the person who is infected or after that person has left the space.
    • This kind of spread is referred to as airborne transmission and is an important way that infections like tuberculosis, measles, and chicken pox are spread.
    • There is evidence that under certain conditions, people with COVID-19 seem to have infected others who were more than 6 feet away. These transmissions occurred within enclosed spaces that had inadequate ventilation. Sometimes the infected person was breathing heavily, for example while singing or exercising.
      • Under these circumstances, scientists believe that the amount of infectious smaller droplet and particles produced by the people with COVID-19 became concentrated enough to spread the virus to other people. The people who were infected were in the same space during the same time or shortly after the person with COVID-19 had left.
    • Available data indicate that it is much more common for the virus that causes COVID-19 to spread through close contact with a person who has COVID-19 than through airborne transmission. [1]
    COVID-19 spreads less commonly through contact with contaminated surfaces
    • Respiratory droplets can also land on surfaces and objects. It is possible that a person could get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes.
    • Spread from touching surfaces is not thought to be a common way that COVID-19 spreads
    COVID-19 rarely spreads between people and animals
    • It appears that the virus that causes COVID-19 can spread from people to animals in some situations. CDC is aware of a small number of pets worldwide, including cats and dogs, reported to be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, mostly after close contact with people with COVID-19. Learn what you should do if you have pets.
    • At this time, the risk of COVID-19 spreading from animals to people is considered to be low. Learn about COVID-19 and pets and other animals.
    Protect yourself and others

    The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. You can take steps to slow the spread.
    Pandemics can be stressful, especially when you are staying away from others. During this time, it’s important to maintain social connections and care for your mental health.

    Learn more about what you can do to protect yourself and others.

    1Pathogens that are spread easily through airborne transmission require the use of special engineering controls to prevent infections. Control practices, including recommendations for patient placement and personal protective equipment for health care personnel in healthcare settings, can be found in Section 2 of Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

    More Information

    Scientific Brief: SARS-CoV-2 and Potential Airborne Transmission
    ASL Video Series: How does COVID-19 Spread?

  • #2
    I just copied the whole page in case it changes again - interesting timing with the President hospitalized with COVID-19

    Comment


    • sharon sanders
      sharon sanders commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks! It is always a good idea to copy the entire piece. I regret many, many times not doing that over the years. Screen shots are good too. And just for the CDC material...all kinds of stuff.

  • #3
    CDC Updates “How COVID is Spread” Webpage


    Media Statement
    For Immediate Release: Monday, October 5, 2020
    Contact: Media Relations
    (404) 639-3286

    Today, CDC issued updated guidance to its How COVID-19 Spreads website, which includes information about the potential for airborne spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

    CDC continues to believe, based on current science, that people are more likely to become infected the longer and closer they are to a person with COVID-19. Today’s update acknowledges the existence of some published reports showing limited, uncommon circumstances where people with COVID-19 infected others who were more than 6 feet away or shortly after the COVID-19-positive person left an area. In these instances, transmission occurred in poorly ventilated and enclosed spaces that often involved activities that caused heavier breathing, like singing or exercise. Such environments and activities may contribute to the buildup of virus-carrying particles.

    CDC’s recommendations remain the same based on existing science and after a thorough technical review of the guidance.

    People can protect themselves from the virus that causes COVID-19 by staying at least 6 feet away from others, wearing a mask that covers their nose and mouth, washing their hands frequently, cleaning touched surfaces often and staying home when sick.

    ###
    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESexternal icon

    CDC works 24/7 protecting America’s health, safety and security. Whether disease start at home or abroad, are curable or preventable, chronic or acute, or from human activity or deliberate attack, CDC responds to America’s most pressing health threats. CDC is headquartered in Atlanta and has experts located throughout the United States and the world.

    Page last reviewed: October 5, 2020
    Content source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

    https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/s1005-how-spread-covd.html
    "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
    -Nelson Mandela

    Comment

    Working...
    X