Are supermarkets the problem?

[Thatwentbadly]

Are supermarkets really such a big problem or could it be people who haven’t been following the guidelines who then say I’ve only been to the supermarket who are increasing the number of cases thought to have been caused in the supermarket?

I saw some stats from PHE a while back which suggested that there was a high proportion of people reporting that they had been in a supermarket prior to having been tested positive, but PHE did issue a statement which confirmed that this did not mean that the transmission had actually occurred in the supermarket.

With everywhere else closed, this is not really a surprising stat. Nor does it tell us much about where transmission occurred.

Public transport, workplaces, close contact scenarios - the usual suspects - are likely to be the places where transmission really occurs.

I completely agree. I think there will be quite a few people that will say they have only been to the shop whereas in reality (either because they forgot or don’t want to admit they have been rule breaking) they have had other contacts.
It’s similar to the asymptomatic cases. I often wonder whether there aren’t as many as they say, as I imagine when some people test positive, they say they have not had any symptoms to excuse the fact they have been out and about / at work.

Our neighbours got covid a few weeks ago. They had nobody in their house, had not used public transport and been out nowhere other than the supermarket in the couple of weeks before they went down with it.

It did jump out at me in today's presser, when Boris mentioned twice that touching items can spread Covid. More emphasis of this than previously. Coupled with the caution from Vallance about ventilation and being indoors.
I think supermarkets should return to one way systems and limited people in store. I know no-one wants to queue in the freezing cold, but our local Tesco is bonkers. Like Covid never happened.

I think if supermarkets were such a massive problem there would be lots of talk of all the supermarket staff coming down with it and it spreading like wildfire amongst staff. My DH works in one, they've only had 1 staff case (which meant the close shift contacts had to isolate) since the beginning of the pandemic and it was only last month.
Though I know staff wear masks.. the stores sometimes aren't well ventilated in back rooms. I've been surprised but quite relieved that it hasn't been a cause for concern at his workplace.

Have other supermarket staff found the same?

@SophieB100

It did jump out at me in today's presser, when Boris mentioned twice that touching items can spread Covid. More emphasis of this than previously. Coupled with the caution from Vallance about ventilation and being indoors. I think supermarkets should return to one way systems and limited people in store. I know no-one wants to queue in the freezing cold, but our local Tesco is bonkers. Like Covid never happened.

Did he? I never watch any of the conferences. Hmm my DH is ECV, I wonder if we need to go back to wiping everything down. I think that may break me.

Hospitals and care homes are the biggest sources.

Supermarkets remain the greatest public indoor space accessible so just by sheer mass of numbers and lack of competition it will be statistically significant by lack of legal competition rather than necessarily being high risk in its own right.

Plus if you had been to an illicit gathering, you can report going to a supermarket and not own up to Auntie Margaret's 79th birthday tea.

@Spodge I’m sure it is possible to catch it at the supermarket. I’m just not sure if all the supermarket cases are from there. I can’t imagine the people who have been breaking the rules are telling track and trace about it.

To be honest I don't think supermarkets are the problem, at least not with the original variant of the virus.

I think there are stats that say bus drivers are occupational most likely to contract covid, and if supermarkets were a major source of infection it would be picked up that supermarket workers were being particularly badly affected. And as far as I'm aware they're not ...

I know a couple of people who caught Covid from their young adult resident children who had been to illegal parties. In both cases the 'children' told Test and Trace that they had been nowhere other than the supermarket. Which was ironic as they hadn't set foot in a supermarket for months, preferring to let their parents do the boring shopping.

Dh and me have tested positive within 2 days of each other.

He goes to work, but all temp taking/ masks etc and don't think that would explain why I am exactly 2 days behind him.

Or
I went to supermarket on sat Have we both caught it differently?

Or
Kids have been isolating since middle of last week. Have they been asym and we caught it from them?

My symptoms were not classic cv either. I only tested cos dh was positive. I had a slight scratchy throat- like hayfever and stinging eyes, but put that down to screen use. No cough, no temp, no fatigue. Hit me big time about 24 hours ago though.

Was all over Welsh news that evidence is that supermarkets are spreading infection. Apparently in Wales we are having new laws to limit numbers in supermarkets.

I saw some stats from PHE a while back which suggested that there was a high proportion of people reporting that they had been in a supermarket prior to having been tested positive

But the likelihood of someone having been to the supermarket before testing positive is very high, it’s really the only public indoor place anyone goes to at the moment.

Covid: Wales' new shop rules 'follow evidence of spread' www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55667624

The virus doesn't read the guidelines, it just gloms onto surfaces and hangs in the air to be picked up and breathed deep.

It's a virus so, yes, supermarkets will be a vector - but starvation has a higher rate of mortality so we must make our choices and not lose our collective minds too much over this.

50 cases and one death among staff at Tesco just reported in the Manchester Evening News

Tesco confirms employee has died as store hit with Covid outbreak

Nowhere is 'the problem' more than anywhere else. Anywhere where people are, where they touch things, could spread the virus.

All we need to do is cut out all unnecessary contact.

If we could cut supermarkets out that'd be great. But we need to eat. You can only go so far. That's why people shouldn't shop in pairs etc!

VikingessI was just about to mention Tesco. The staff at our large local store in GM don't wear masks, I can't understand why.

I dont think its mainly supermarket though obviously is a source.
Because we have needed food throughout.(though with higher numbers infected more will be in store).
It will be the cold weather reduced vit d. So people inside other's houses more.
But also relevant to trolleys etc viruses live a looong time at low temps so trollys or shopping items. Over xmas items will have been stocked on shelves more frequently too.
Also possibly metal kids play equipment.
Places with better public transport have more cases.

Supermarkets are hit and miss, even within the same brand. Our nearest is a total free for all. The one slightly further away is much better, like a military operation. However, I don’t think they’re the problem, most people are masked up and most interactions are fleeting at best.

Latest zoe study shows that vitamin D makes a negligible difference.

Everywhere else is shut. If most people are only leaving the housd to excercise outside where they stay away from others and to go to the supermarket then it stands to reason that most people who catch it will do in a supermarket. It doesn't mean that supermarkets are any more dangerous then they've ever been.

People need to eat. Most people get food by going to supermarkets. It's hardly surprising that a virus that spreads via people being near each other would spread there.

I've yet to see more than a couple of supermarket staff wearing face coverings. Yet they're always the first to be really nasty about other people not wearing them. And they're still not routinely cleaning their checkout conveyors between customers.