How contagious is the virus ?

[maria860]

How contagious is this virus say in comparison to flu or norovirus which I always catch every year?
I'm only asking as I had an anxiety riddled day today.
I walked to the shop by my house I had to walk through a little park and this man was infront of me and he had a vape and honestly I got closer but stepped quite far to the side it's a narrow pathway and he blew out his vapour just as I'm getting close really was out of order I felt and I inhaled the whole cloud.
Then I went in the shop no gloves touched the handle usually so careful with this but on the way home the wind blew my hair into my mouth so I moved the hair and was like shit I haven't washed my hands and touched the handle the milk etc

So I've come home riddled with anxiety at breathing in this vapour cloud and the handle incident. I'm pregnant I don't think I would be this bad otherwise. How contagious is this do you think? Someone at work had the sickness bug and I didn't go near him different toilet etc and I got home being sick all night long it was that easy I'm hoping this virus isn't as contagious but I've a feeling it is if not more so?

Can anyone give me some logical advice or opinion on this ? Have hardly ate today worked myself up so much.

[ItsAllForYou]

As far as I am aware it is very contagious and is why it is so dangerous

[HappyHammy]

Try and keep calm. It is contagious but you know that and you are trying to keep safe. I guess you gave washed your hands well. X

[MrsTerryPratchett]

It has a higher R0 value than flu, which is how contagious it it. However the R0, which is how many people catch it for each person with it, is obviously affected by what we all do.

So the vape cloud. If he were coughing and you spent an hour in a room with him and he had the virus... maybe. But he likely doesn't have it, wasn't coughing and you very briefly had contact. It's very unlikely. Outside is better for a multitude of reasons.

[Northernsoullover]

Community infection rates are way down too. We must all stay vigilant but I'm less panicky knowing this (and I still take my usual precautions)

[Mrsemcgregor]

I was in a Tesco express shop and a man in there was coughing. 5 days later I started symptoms and today a covid assessment dr confirmed I most likely have it, although of course I can know for sure without a test.

That shop was the only place I have been in 4 weeks and I was in there for 10 minutes max. I wish I had walked out the second I heard that man coughing.

[Ginfordinner]

Very

[Gronky]

Regarding the vapour cloud, the particles are generated by heating the fluid in the e-cigarette to over 200°C. What comes out has been mixed in with the air in his lungs but the actual particles are unlikely to have contacted the internal surfaces and his lungs won't have generated any fresh vapour. I wouldn't say it's completely safe but it doesn't seem like it presents any more risk than passing a non-vaper at the same distance.

[lamplamplamo]

www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.02.07.20021154v1

[tootyfruitypickle]

Most people don’t have it - that’s the logical way to try and make yourself think.

[maria860]

Thanks guys a balanced view on this and good to know community infection rates are down also. It's pretty crazy you can catch it going in the shop if someone coughs isn't it. I know it's contagious but wish we knew more about the virus it's like we hardly know anything at the moment.
Puts me off going out anywhere it's a tiny little shop close by but it makes me edgy but needs must sometimes.

[Remmy123]

My friend was in very close contact with a covid patient with no PPE, touched him etc in an enclosed room (prison officer) and is totally fine - so it just depends I suppose!

[soloula]

My friend was in very close contact with a covid patient with no PPE, touched him etc in an enclosed room (prison officer) and is totally fine - so it just depends I suppose!

Or they caught it but were asymptomatic. Without tests we can't be sure who's had it or not...

[Bagelsandbrie]

I don’t think anyone is actually sure to be honest. We know it can live on surfaces for 3 days don’t we..? Or did I imagine that? But I don’t know whether that’s different to flu or anything else we might catch. I think the whole 2m thing is obviously preventative but unless you literally have someone cough or sneeze near enough to you for you to somehow ingest it through your mouth or eyes (not ingest here but you know what I mean) surely that’s the only way you can get it...

I think if it was truly horrifically contagious then everyone would get it, and they don’t.

[Howmanysleepsnow]

Viral load needs considering too. The situations you described would give a very low viral load (and that’s IF the man was infected and IF someone infected had touched the bottle with fomites on their hand). A lower viral load typically gives much milder illness. It’d be preferable to being coughed on or in close proximity for 15 minutes.

[Pleasedontdothat]

Most studies looking at what percentage of the population have been exposed to the virus suggest that only around 3% have had it. That means that a smaller percentage are currently infected so the chances of coming into contact with an infected person are really quite low. Obviously, take sensible precautions - wash hands thoroughly several times a day, avoid touching your face and stay around 2m away from people you don’t live with. I suspect that once more research into how this virus is transmitted, the risk posed by passing someone who’s asymptomatic on the street will be shown to be vanishingly small.

[maria860]

Yes I think your right there it must transmission that way mainly but I guess we're still learning all feels so surreal sometimes living on edge and fear I find the fear of getting it worse then the fact I may get it if that makes sense.

[maria860]

@pleasedontdothat I am so careful with the hand washing and things if I do go out but you forget yourself sometimes don't you. Like today when I touched my mouth after I left the shop I was so cross with myself for it.

[BeforeIPutOnMyMakeup]

If you catch flu or norovirus every year then you should take the hygiene measures that people are doing very seriously and actually do them as this is more contagious.

[Millicent10]

Everyone says very but I work with someone that had it (before lockdown) and no one else in the office caught it. This was in the days when we were ‘just’ doing the excessive hand washing. There is a lot to be said for hand washing.

[maria860]

It's strange unless some had it with no symptoms maybe. I have never had flu but I catch every cold and stomach bug going that's why I'm worried about my stupidity today and touching my mouth but to late now. Just have to hope I was lucky this time.
It's so worrying and stressful.

[lljkk]

Only about 3% of the population have had it.
Each infectious person only infects 2 or 3 others
Probably 95% of cases come from being face to face someone for at least 15 minutes (nothing less will do).
That doesn't seem very infectious at all to me.
It's not like measles.

[goingoverground]

Current scientific evidence suggests that it is more infectious than flu and about as infectious as norovirus. Measles is 2 or 3 times more infectious.

However, the main mode of transmission for norovirus and coronavirus is very different. Norovirus is mostly spread via the faecal-oral route, so touching something someone infectious has touched and then transferring the virus to your mouth. It also can last for a very long time on surfaces and it hard to kill with cleaning products so you can catch norovirus from someone you've never met, days after they were there.

There are no known transmissions of coronavirus from touching something. You are most likely to catch coronavirus from someone you live with or being near someone displaying symptoms.

To put it in perspective, an infectious person with coronavirus infects 3 people on average (it's less in lockdown). Think how many people you come into contact with on an average day. So with all the tens, possibly hundreds, of people you would be close to, you would only infect 3 people, most likely your family. Then add in the small chance that somebody who is out and about with no symptoms has the virus.

[maria860]

Thankyou for that I've had the sickness bug so many times I've lost count usually from the kids though and once from someone at work that's why I was curious if it's on par with that and thankfully u can kill this with soap and water and on surfaces unlike norovirus imagine if it wasn't so easy to kill we would be in serious trouble now.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

once from someone at work

You think that but you don't actually know.

[maria860]

I'm quite sure as his kids had it he came in he still had it and then me and two others all got that evening that's how contagious the sickness bug is as we all said he shouldn't of come in but he must of been contagious the day before.