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The hemisphere has been living through the COVID-19 pandemic, the illness caused by a novel coronavirus which appeared in China in December of 2019, for over four and a half months now.

During this time strict quarantines measures have been adopted to stop its spread, which are now beginning to be relaxed, but experts warn that the risk of contracting coronavirus is far from over.

In fact, with openings and the relaxing of social isolation measures, many countries on the continent are seeing increases in cases and deaths.

According to what we currently know about the virus and contagion patterns,  risk increases  proportionately to exposure times and the viral load a person can transmit. 

When and how are we infected?

Erin Bromage, associate professor of biology at Dartmouth University, who has an informational blog about the course of research on coronavirus, has been monitoring group actions, such as quarantines, the use of masks, and social isolation, and offers some very useful recommendations to mitigate your risk of contracting the virus in a variety of settings.

Bromage explains that a large percentage of infections occur inside homes when a family member has contracted the virus outside and spreads it to other household members, where, of course, there is prolonged contact between people not wearing masks.

But the big question is: where are people getting infected outside in their communities?

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Naturally, people think that places like supermarkets are high risk, for example. However, the rules at these types of stores are extremely strict: you can’t go inside if you aren’t wearing a mask, many people use gloves, and it’s hard to stand around chatting, especially during these times, with another customer.

From what we have learned from science up to now, in order for a person to become infected, they must be exposed to a viral load of at least 1,000 infectious particulates.

These particulates are disseminated in droplets from sneezing, coughing, or simply speaking.

This is why social distancing is so important; the farther you are from a person, the lower the risk of infection.

What places and activities may be high risk?

• Public restrooms. These areas have many high contact surfaces, such as handles, faucets and doors. As such, they may be a high risk environment. We still do not know if a person releases infectious material in feces, or if they are simply fragmented viruses, says Bromage, but we do know that flushing the toilet causes a lot of drops to spray up. 

• Coughing. A single cough releases around 3,000 droplets which, whether you believe it or not, travel at 50 miles per hour. Most of the drops are large and fall quickly (due to gravity), but many remain in the air and can travel across a room in just a few seconds.

• Sneezing. A single sneeze releases around 30,000 droplets that can travel at up to 200 miles per hour. Most droplets are small and travel large distances (easily across a room). A single sneeze or cough from an infected person may contain up to 200 million virus particulates that can disperse in the environment.

• Breathing. A single exhalation releases between 50 to 5,000 drops. The majority of these travel at slow speeds and fall quickly to the ground. Even less droplets are released with exhalations through the nose. It is important to highlight that, due to the lack of force of exhalation with breathing, virus particles from inferior respiratory areas are not expelled.

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When a person coughs or sneezes, these viral particles fly everywhere. Some float in the air and others fall to surfaces, mostly to the floor, explains Bromage. So, if you are face to face with a person having a conversation and they sneeze or cough in your direction, it is easy to see how it is possible to inhale 1,000 virus particulates and get infected.

Even if this cough or sneeze isn’t directed towards you, some infected droplets, the tiniest of the tiniest, can remain in the air for minutes, filling every corner of a medium-sized room with infectious viral particulates.

Speaking increases the release of respiratory droplets by approximately 10 times. Assuming each virus expelled is inhaled, it will take approximately 5 minutes of speaking face to face with a person carrying the virus to receive a sufficient dose to become infected.

This is also key for symptomatic individuals staying at home. Their sneezes and coughs expel so many viruses that they can infect an entire room of people.

What role do asymptomatic people play in spreading the virus?

Since the coronavirus began to spread in China, several studies have confirmed that many people who contract the virus do not show any symptoms. It is now believed that at least 44% of people do not develop COVID-19 and go through the infection phase without even knowing it.

Even though they do not have symptoms, asymptomatic carriers can infect others.

The majority of virus transmission in the community is from people without any symptoms (either asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic). They can transmit the virus in the environment up to 5 days before they begin to have symptoms, and can do so even if they do not have any symptoms.

The amount of virus released by an infected individual changes over the course of the infection and varies from person to person. 

What are the personal risks of reopening?

Although we almost immediately think of cruise ships, as they were what made news at the start of the pandemic, these environments are no longer concerning as there are almost no tourism ships sailing the oceans and seas now.

Not counting outbreaks in nursing homes, which have been so dramatic due to the fact that they are closed-in spaces with high risk populations, areas that can be sources of contagion are:

• Jails

• Areas for religious congregation (churches, temples, mosques)

• Weddings, funerals (especially at the start of the pandemic, until ceremonies became digital)

• Workplaces (especially those where many people are together in enclosed spaces, like a call center)

• Facilities like manufacturing and meat-packing plants

• Restaurants, when you are able to eat inside again

The problem with these places is that there are large groups of people and closed air circulation.

Even though they have taken place outside, the marches held to protest the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer have unexpectedly caused many people to congregate. 

The use by police of rubber bullets and tear gas has increased the risk of spreading the coronavirus.

Five tips to prevent infection

In large and open spaces, like beaches or national parks, the concentration of the virus is diluted in a large volume of air. The lower the viral load in the air, the less the risk of contagion.

But again, it all depends on the preventative measures you take and your contact with others.

Plans for vacations or weekend recreation are completely altered, but many people still consider taking a trip to the beach or nearby park. If this is the case for you, we have put together a list of some actions you can take to minimize risk.

1. Disinfect your temporary home. Whether this is a hotel room, private home rental, or cabin in the middle of the woods, you should ensure that your vacation home is well-sanitized. It’s not overkill to clean it yourself upon arrival.

2. Find out about outbreaks at your destination. If you are travelling to another state, or even another part of your own state, find out about the status of the COVID-19 outbreak in the area. Also find out if your insurance offers health care coverage there. Prepare a list of medical centers close to where you are vacationing in case you need them.

3. Limit fun to the people in your family group. Doctor Ryan Westergaard, medical officer for the Wisconsin Health Services Department, said that it is better to maintain a small circle of contacts.

“Until we feel that we have contained the virus and are confident that the majority of new cases are related to known outbreaks, limiting close contact between people in different homes is an important strategy in preventing transmission chains,” he added.

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As such, it’s important to consider all the information and decide based on who you feel comfortable with. Don’t succumb to pressure from friends who say, “it’ll be fine.” Follow protective rules and don’t let your guard down—unless it’s to wash your hands.

4. Find out how climate affects the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state that, in general, coronavirus dies more quickly in areas with higher temperatures and humidity than colder and drier ones.

However, they add that they do not have direct data for this virus or the survival conditions for coronavirus in various environments.

As such, it’s a good idea to consult your doctor about exposing yourself to sand and sun, for example, and in general, carry out an evaluation in order to make informed decisions.

5. Remain vigilant with your prevention measures. Even if your moonlit night on the beach or afternoon in a mall filled with green areas makes you forget about the pandemic, remember that the novel coronavirus is here to stay. Always use a mask when going out and in public places, whether open or closed. If necessary, use latex gloves, and keep washing your hands, as it is the most simple, efficient and economical way to fight germs.