This week, I talked about contested evidence that COVID-19 is spread in great part by aerosols, in addition to droplets. It’s not spread as easily by fomites, by touching objects and transmitting to your face. Also, even though it is spread by aerosol, in order to contract it you really need sustained, close contact with someone who is shedding virus. There are households where only one member contracts the virus while others are able to distance from that person. This virus is apparently not as easily caught as measles, where 90% of people surrounding a measles-infected person can contract it. So, distancing, masking, sanitizing really do help. The worst situations for contracting this virus are those where people are talking, shouting, or singing for sustained periods: bars, parties, events, indoor areas with lots of people and poor ventilation, or anywhere where people have sustained close contact, especially if they are not masked. This is helpful to know how to avoid it, but it makes schools, bars, restaurants, gyms, yoga and dance studios, and house gatherings, and large events very problematic.
