How are people catching it?

[Quarterback11]

Just a very unscientific anecdotal poll...if covid is not totally crazy in your area, how are people who test positive getting it? (If they know).

I'll start:

In a nursing home and bedbound, so presumably through staff.
Hospital acquired
The nanny tested positive and then one of the children she minded did.
No idea but the only place she was was grocery shopping (others in the household mix with the public though. And reports of individuals not isolating in that town )

I don’t know of anyone that has got it or had it, neither does my husband and when we asked our parents and extended family (some local, some live several hours away), none of them know of anyone that has had it either.

Where we are they say it is family spread not really the pubs.

In my hometown there are currently three restaurants closed due to outbreaks amongst the staff - I have GPs in the family who told me just one of those restaurants resulted in 78 cases. Unsurprisingly, last week, several of the local schools started needing to send children home.

Lots of pubs closed due to Covid amongst staff. A social club in a nearby town has closed due to all staff having Covid but they told everyone two weeks after this due to staff being asymptomatic...the first case of a positive Covid case was a customer who visited on the 12th, 13th and 19th...by that time staff and regular members had caught it and started spreading it, the social club held a sold out concert on the 18th for both club members and the public and it’s only yesterday that the club made an announcement about the outbreak related to it. There will likely be a big spread in the local area due to this one “superspreader”.

Otherwise, I’d agree it’s hospitals, care homes and schools that are the places it’s being caught and then spread to relatives.

Everyone who I know well that has definitely had it caught it in work (NHS) and then spread it round their immediate family.

I also know of someone who got it from a wedding in March. Most of my patients who had it say they don't know how they got it.

Work
School
Holiday abroad

Earlier in the year people I knew with covid .... At work at hospital, while on holiday in foreign country-symptoms on return, at hairdressers (long appointment).
Last few weeks..
Whole family after 19 year old brought home after being put with friends.
Late 20s colleague... Out with friend for evening, friend positive test 2 days later, he got later that week..
Friend... Daughter early 20s gave it to her. She got from her boyfriend who had been to a garden party (not allowed where we live).

Schools have sent home bubbles due to cases (from family members) but as yet haven't heard of transfer amongst the children themselves.. But might just not have been told.

At home.
At work.
In the supermarket.
At the sauna.

I caught it off a family member who visited (we are his support bubble). We believe he caught it on public transport as he doesn't drive and has been using the bus to go further afield for his walks- doesn't go out for much/anything else.

I wonder if the immune systems helps some avoid it. My DM had it she was around my DF for 3 days while really bad he never caught it. We suspect he gave it to her and didn't have symptoms as she was isolating with a compromised immune system and he continued going for his daily papers etc.

2 - at home from returning student

1 - at work (NHS)
1 - at home from family member above

1 - on holiday at hotspot early in pandemic

1 - probably through meeting friends
(teenager)
1 - from teenage child above

1 - from patient (NHS worker)

1 - from family member (don’t know where they got it)

I visited an Indian restaurant to collect a take away last weekend. We are in an area with high rates of infection.

My take away wasnt ready so I took a seat. I watched as SO many people touched the door handle on entry. Guy next to me waiting for food didn’t have a mask. The waiter knew him, didn’t raise objections.

I asked for hand sanitiser. It was under the desk. The owner said ‘if youre gonna get it, you’re gonna get it.’

Schools

My husband caught it at work from a colleague, they were sitting at a computer in a really tiny office space together for a few hours. He got unwell after 4 or 5 days, we all stayed home and isolated. I caught it of my husband but I wouldn't have known as I was asymptomatic.

Several people in March at school. None over lockdown, now know a few again, at school. Also one hospital worker.

Churches and funerals. People are always too close to each other.

I know two people who have had it. One caught it in a care home and very sadly died from it. There were several cases in their care home. The other person caught it after going to a family get together. I don’t know how many people were there, it was a birthday celebration and one person came down with symptoms a couple of days later and then my friend tested positive a couple of days after that. Thankfully she was not affected badly.

3 people from skiing holidays in Feb
Several from working in hospitals at start of pandemic
2 from a hen do
None were very seriously ill fortunately

There's lots of pie charts floating around showing where the virus is being picked up at. They all show pubs and restaurants aren't high risk but the main spread is coming from schools and colleges. Can't verify its true but it makes sense. Seems all the 'kids don't catch it/pass it on like adults' was wishful thinking. The main measures in schools are increased handwashing. That's just not cutting it for a virus spread through droplets and in the air.

@pumucklsmissus

My husband caught it at work from a colleague, they were sitting at a computer in a really tiny office space together for a few hours. He got unwell after 4 or 5 days, we all stayed home and isolated. I caught it of my husband but I wouldn't have known as I was asymptomatic.

I saw that nearly 20 per cent is workplace and I can believe that.

I was expected to returm to an office like you describe, 1m apart, but can WFH fortunately most days after a cchange in plans.

I know a lot of people who have had it via work. My nan works in a gp surgery and 4 staff members have tested positive in the last 2 weeks, one after the other. My nan was tested but tested negative and so far thankfully feels fine.

The only people I know who think they had it (couldn't get tested at the time) both had it before the lockdown and were still commuting to work on public transport so could have got it from any number of places. I don't know anyone who's had it since March.

Anything indoors is high risk. Obviously you don’t spend as long in a restaurant or gym as you do at work so it stands to reason that more people catch it at work. However, in community spread (where there is no known contact with a positive case), most who tested positive had visited a restaurant in the days leading up to their symptoms/ positive test

I work in a fast food restaurant (indoor) since the beginning of pandemic in busy street (I live in a small city on the east coast of US) and I still have not had coronavirus.

I still wonder why people think you can’t catch it outdoors if you are close to people

My DS16 from school (he goes nowhere else). Tested positive week last Monday. Is fine and allowed back to school on Thursday. DH and I self-isolating and fine. We finish isolation at weekend. My DS is the only one I know who has had it. There have been 2 other cases in the school prior to his.

1 caught it in hospital having been admitted for something else.
1 caught it on a plane in early March coming back from visiting family.
1 caught it in the hospital where she works