Can someone explain transmission

[Colbs]

Hi

Is someone please able to explain how Covid is transmitted?

It was my understanding that it spreads if you’re in close contact with a positive case ie within 2 meters for a prolonged period of time.

I’ve invited my friend over for dinner next weekend and she’s turned down the offer unless we sit outside.

We can’t sit outside as I’m currently having work done in the garden.

She has asked that we keep our distance indoors and keep all windows open.

She’s also asked that if I get up and move around I wear a mask

I know about ventilation but surely if I’m sat 2 meters away from my friend I’m of no risk to her (if I even had Covid)

I’m starting to think I actually don’t know much about transmission and she knows more than I do.

I’ve had a quick Google and there’s suggestions it’s air borne. What exactly does this mean?

Correction - I see Friday's ONS data shows 1 in 75.

Close contact can just mean being in a room with someone. You don't have to be under 2m away from them.
There is nothing magic about the 2m mark. Droplets can go further than that.
However, if she is that worried, she should stay at home.
I don't wear my mask at home unless it's for a quick visit by tradesman, landlord, etc. so I wouldn't do what she's asking.

@user1471518104

My god. I dread to think what the effects on society will be for decades because of this

Why don't you just tell your friend to fuck off ?

How understanding . People are free to make their own risk assessments during this time. Cases are high at the moment. A decision made this month might be different to one made next month . It won’t be the same for decades. We have to respect other people’s choices. I actually think vaccines should be mandated for everyone but I appreciate that’s not really fair. If you would tell a friend to fuck off in this basis I am really glad not be your friend

OP, what is your understanding of close contact, do you think it means actually touching someone?
As pointed out previously it means being in close enough proximity for the virus to be spread by droplets in the air, exhaled by someone carrying the virus.
I would have thought after all this time, with information all all over the media, that it would be understood by now.

@Bamaluz

OP, what is your understanding of close contact, do you think it means actually touching someone? As pointed out previously it means being in close enough proximity for the virus to be spread by droplets in the air, exhaled by someone carrying the virus. I would have thought after all this time, with information all all over the media, that it would be understood by now.

@Bamaluz

A close contact, as stated on the GOV website, is being within 2 meters of an infected person for more than 15 minutes or within 1 meter for 1 minute or more.

That’s what I would state as a close contact, obviously that’s outside of my household.

1 person at work tested positive a few weeks ago, none of us needed to isolate as we weren’t classed as close contacts, even though we share an office.

That was the advice from PHE after our company contacted them.

Airborne. If you're close enough to breathe in the same air as someone else, you're at risk of catching the virus (if they're infected).

Why do you think back at the beginning - in early 2020 - China had people in hazmat suits in Wuhan spraying the streets (and air) with disinfectant.

@Tealightsandd

Airborne. If you're close enough to breathe in the same air as someone else, you're at risk of catching the virus (if they're infected).

Why do you think back at the beginning - in early 2020 - China had people in hazmat suits in Wuhan spraying the streets (and air) with disinfectant.

@Tealightsandd

Even airborne the risk of transmission outside is very low, isn’t it…?!

Definitely higher risk indoors. Experts are still unclear about the risks of outdoor spread. Possibly risky outdoors in very crowded spaces for longish periods. Delta strain much more transmissible than earlier strains. But indoors is the biggest risk.

Example of crowded outdoors space, mosh pit/front of stage of a concert. Things like that. More spread out - pub gardens with separate tables, picnics in park, etc lower risk.

Interestingly there is actually still a lot of uncertainty about how it transmits….

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/08/07/top-scientists-remain-puzzled-covid-spreads/

I’ve got to be honest, your friend sounds like she is not ready to rejoin the world just yet and I rather suspect she may need some medical help to do so. I’d stick to outside if you can for now.

Good BMJ article about airborne vs. droplet transmission of covid.

"droplet spread" vs. "airborne spread via aerosols" are differences on a probability spectrum, not a precise boundary distinction. All of the good quality evidence says that covid is predominantly spread by droplets, not aerosols (mostly not airborne). For many reasons infectious diseases have dominant transmission pathways and these are pretty fixed. Airborne may be possible and sometimes happens but it's very low chance of happening; droplet spread, in contrast, is much easier. Surface transmissions will continue to be very unlikely (being an enveloped virus, for one thing).

If covid were as airborne-transmissible as measles then we all would have caught it quickly long ago. It just isn't as airborne as that. New variants are extremely unlikely to ever make covid super airborne infectious, too.

It's been discovered that people infected with the Delta variant have about 1,000 times more viral particles in their upper respiratory systems than people who infected with earlier coronavirus strains.

Google it. It's widely reported internationally.

Professor McLaws, an advisor to the World Health Organization, said the Delta variant was so highly contagious that people were producing 1,000 times more viral particles in their respiratory tract, compared to other strains.

These included large droplets as well as tiny aerosol particles.

"We now need to understand that we are potentially at great risk of aerosol or airborne particles, those tiny droplet nuclei, that can hang in the air for longer if there's no wind, and that means that you can be at risk outside, not just inside," she said.

www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-06/nsw-covid-delta-outdoor-transmission-risk/100353394

"Surface transmissions will continue to be very unlikely (being an enveloped virus, for one thing)."

So why are we still being told to wash hands constantly and making our skin dry with all this alcohol gel.

I think most people do this less now but it's still good hygiene practice like in hospitals and care sector. Things evolve.

@MrsRLynde

Your friend sounds like she is taking every sensible measures to reduce her risk, and after a traumatic loss, it is very obvious why she would wish to do that. You are thoughtful to accommodate her.

This remains an extremely nasty virus, that currently 1in 65 of us has, so if people feel strongly about reducing their chance of catching or transmitting it, these steps are logical.

Some people have a very different risk appetite, which is fair enough (if it doesn't come at the expense of others). I sometimes think that people who feel the need to pour score on people like your friend do so because they don't want to be reminded of the residual risk. We aren't back to normal, although vaccines are clearly massively helpful.

It's a good question, OP, because we all need to make informed choices.

This 👆👆👆

You sound like a good friend. She is clearly grieving and traumatised and if she were my friend I would do whatever it takes to make her feel more comfortable.

Some of the unkind responses on this thread make me sad 😔