**** Case status of household contacts was unknown if the occurrence of COVID-19compatible symptoms was not known and if the contacts testing results were unknown. Finally, this investigation occurred during a period when testing and sequencing capacity was strained and when many persons traveled and attended gatherings, increasing the possibility that household contacts had unknown SARS-CoV-2 exposures outside the home (6). A simple cloth mask is much less effective, especially against a variant as contagious as BA.2. While outdoor transmission of COVID-19 in low-risk settings is "generally uncommon," Dr. Adalja says that it's . Although it makes sense that people would worry about getting a more contagious variant outdoors, it's likely that the current surge in cases doesn't have anything to do with outdoor spread. First, what is the Covid-19 risk in your community? But being outside is still much, much safer than being indoors. Risk is also lower if the mask or respirator is a type that offers greater protection. The XBB.1.5 variant is a highly transmissible descendant of omicron that is now estimated . The AR was lower among household contacts of index patients who reported ever wearing a mask at home during their potentially infectious period (39.5%, 88 of 223) compared with household contacts of index patients who reported never wearing a mask at home during this period (68.9%, 124 of 180, p-value<0.01). Julia M. Baker, PhD1,2,*; Jasmine Y. Nakayama, PhD1,2,*; Michelle OHegarty, PhD1; Andrea McGowan, MPH1,3; Richard A. Teran, PhD2,4; Stephen M. Bart, PhD2,5; Katie Mosack, PhD6; Nicole Roberts, MPHTM7; Brooke Campos7; Alina Paegle7; John McGee7; Robert Herrera7; Kayla English, MPH4; Carla Barrios4,8; Alexandria Davis, MD4; Christine Roloff, MS4; Lynn E. Sosa, MD5; Jessica Brockmeyer, MPH5; Lindsey Page, MPH6; Amy Bauer6; Joshua J. Weiner, MS6; Manjeet Khubbar, MSc6; Sanjib Bhattacharyya, PhD6; Hannah L. Kirking, MD1; Jacqueline E. Tate, PhD1 (View author affiliations). Its no surprise, then, that more and more stories have emerged of people speculating that they caught COVID-19 outside, which can be a bit unsettling to hear as cases continue to rise in many parts of the country. "Most people that get it outdoors are still getting into groups with friends, neighbors and family when outdoors and that is a good way to spread infection when it is present," he said. These cookies perform functions like remembering presentation options or choices and, in some cases, delivery of web content that based on self-identified area of interests. Please check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most updated recommendations. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021;70:17314. Fully vaccinated was defined as completion of the primary vaccination series 2 weeks before the index date and stratified into completion <5 months or 5 months before the index date. Being closer to someone who is infected with COVID-19 increases the risk of transmission. Dr. Mallika Marshall explains: Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are highly transmissible, some say as transmissible as measles, which is considered the most infectious viral illness in humans. Here are some frequently asked questions about the vaccines, eligibility, and more. "You're never going to find that much virus in a small area that you touch," he said. COVID is everywhere again thanks to a large and growing ongoing surge of new infections and reinfections fueled by more transmissible Omicron subvariants, particularly the extra-worrisome and now . 5 Norovirus Symptoms That Can Hit You Really, Really Hard, This Simple Morning Habit Can Help You Sleep Way Better at Night, Jane Fonda Shared Her Simplest Tip for Fighting Depression as You Get Older, CDC Warns Against OTC Eye Drops Linked to 50 Infections in 11 States. Yes, you can catch BA.5 outside, but its more likely that youll catch it indoors than outdoors. Durch Klicken auf Alle akzeptieren erklren Sie sich damit einverstanden, dass Yahoo und unsere Partner Ihre personenbezogenen Daten verarbeiten und Technologien wie Cookies nutzen, um personalisierte Anzeigen und Inhalte zu zeigen, zur Messung von Anzeigen und Inhalten, um mehr ber die Zielgruppe zu erfahren sowie fr die Entwicklung von Produkten. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images), A young woman and man stand next to each other. "Our findings imply that (Omicron) has an increased likelihood to be transmitted by the fomite route," the researchers concluded. After conducting lab-based research, the team found Omicron "is more stable than the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 on different surfaces.". Will BA.2 Cause Another COVID Wave in the U.S.? Masks work very well, though here I would urge that people wear an N95 or equivalent mask, such as a KN95 or KF94. And, if you dont feel well, stay home. Partially vaccinated was defined as having only 1 dose of a 2-dose series or completing the primary vaccination series <2 weeks before the index date. Once a saver, always a saver: Warren Buffett says generational wealth isnt what it used to be in his annual letter Its bigger than the housing crisis: An influential economist just blamed NIMBYs for American decline, and Elon Musk CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. And yes, that holds true for omicron, he believes. Ive talked before about how the new guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be used here. In this investigation, a confirmed case in a household contact was defined as having received a positive SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid amplification test result or antigen test result 14 days after the index date (date of the index patients symptom onset or positive SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid amplification test result or antigen test result), and a probable case in a household contact was defined as the presence of COVID-19compatible symptoms during the same 14-day period but without a positive SARS-CoV-2 test confirmation. When asked about the new Hong Kong results, he said any findings based on the "same old techniques" in a laboratory don't change that, since figuring out transmission is about more than just how viruses survive within controlled settings. Applying that to real life is an entirely different thing," he said. Suggested citation for this article: Baker JM, Nakayama JY, OHegarty M, et al. Emerg Infect Dis 2022;28:7569. I do not think that people need to mask outdoors, but there may be situations where someone is extremely vulnerable for example, a cancer patient on chemotherapy and wants to be extra careful. ", Lauren Pelley covers health and medical science for CBC News, including the global spread of infectious diseases, Canadian health policy, and pandemic preparedness. Overall, the ECDC said this makes more frequent breakthrough infections and reinfections possible with BA.4 and BA.5. The virus can also be carried on microscopic aerosols that are expelled by breathing. Despite Omicron's rapid spread, the good news is that COVID-19 strategies like vaccination, masking, and social distancing could slow its transmission. CNN: What should people consider when deciding what precautions they want to bring back, like canceling restaurant reservations or masking up indoors? Coronavirus FAQ: Why are some folks hacking home COVID tests by swabbing their throat. ARs among household contacts were estimated overall, by household contact characteristics, and by index patient characteristics, by dividing the number of household contacts with confirmed and probable cases by the total number of household contacts within a given stratum. Experts warn omicron variants can spread more easily outdoors; prior infections provide less immunit. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that you get tested 5-7 days after "close contact with a person with suspected or confirmed COVID-19." The CDC defines close contact as being less than 6 feet away from an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period. Omicron Subvariants Mean Outdoor Covid Risk Is Different Now Media outlets report on the rise of omicron BA.5, and how subvariants like this are leading to new covid surges and have. Some people washed their mail or wore gloves to the grocery store, while policymakers cordoned off playgrounds and encouraged businesses to scrub every surface. How to Protect Yourself During Outdoor Events, CDC Stops Reporting COVID-19 Cases on Cruise ShipsHere's How You Can Still Stay Safe, COVID-19 Boosters Are Being Updated To Target Omicron SubvariantsHere's Why, What to Know About COVID Reinfections as BA.5 Cases Continue to Rise, Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 Symptoms: What To Know, BA.2.75 Is the Newest Omicron SubvariantHere's What We Know So Far. The outdoors were originally believed to be the safest setting for social gatherings at the height of the pandemic, but you may be wondering if thats still the case with BA.5. Regular sanitization of toys and other items in daycares and schools where children are at play may also be helpful, he said, given how often kids put items directly in their mouths. No. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. Wear a mask outdoors if you're going to be in close proximity to others. That, combined with the sheer volume of cases, could mean that there could be more cases of outdoor transmission, says Dr. Jill Weatherhead, assistant professor of adult and pediatric infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine. If you need to go back and make any changes, you can always do so by going to our Privacy Policy page. Arinjay Banerjee, a virologist working with the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, echoed that. Spreading COVID outside was possible, but not probable, experts advised in 2020, urging cooped-up citizens to turn to Mother Nature as an antidote to the isolation of lockdowns. She cautions that outdoor tents that dont have flaps that let air in are not that different from being indoors, as far as COVID transmission risk goes. A Warner Bros. Ensuring you are able to distance even in an outdoor setting can only help reduce the risk of spread, Roberts stated. CDC COVID-19 Response Team. And Eric Topol, MD . Zeger SL, Liang KY, Albert PS. Some stateslike California and New York . New studies suggest that BA.4 and BA.5, currently sweeping the U.S. and countries around the globe, have a growth advantage over BA.2 similar to the growth advantage BA.2 had over BA.1. Cookies used to make website functionality more relevant to you. The more crowded an outdoors space is, the more it begins to mimic an indoor space in terms of our exposure to shared air.. Someone who coughed onto their hand and then touched a door could seed virus there and transmit it to you if you touch. Outdoor settings were generally considered "safe" during the COVID-19 pandemic. Abbreviations: Full = fully vaccinated; HC = household contact; IP = index patient; Partial = partially vaccinated; Unvacc = unvaccinated. If one person was wearing a mask, the risk of transmission isdecreased, and if both people were wearing masks, the risk issubstantially decreased. As such, Omicron has a slightly shorter clearance phase, 5.35 days as compared to 6.23 days for Delta, as Omicron has a lower peak viral load. Fully vaccinated was defined as completion of the primary vaccination series 2 weeks before the index date and stratified into completion <5 months or 5 months before the index date. If multiple factors below indicate higher transmission risk, you should consider adding more prevention actions. The first is arming yourself with information about community levels in the area to which you're traveling; the CDC's community levels tracker can give you county-by-county information on hospital admissions and COVID-19 case counts. Transmission occurred within 67.8% (124 of 183) of households, and the overall AR among household contacts with known status was 52.7% (227 of 431) (Figure 2). That's a key finding from a new pre-print paper from researchers at the University of Hong Kong's school of public health, which is published online but has not yet been peer-reviewed. Higher outdoor wind speeds on warmer days were associated with up to a 45% lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in social gatherings. People in the US wont face a shutdown like the one currently in place in Shanghai, where no one is allowed to leave their residential compounds, Covid testing is mandatory and food supplies are running low. Health and Human Services. Interferon lambda, an injectable drug in development, is already being compared to Paxlovid. "Certainly I don't want to see people going back to wiping their groceries down with disinfectants and leaving things sitting for days on end in the hope that what virus might be there isn't going to infect them. "More evidence is needed to account for the increased transmissibility of (Omicron) observed in various community studies," the researchers wrote. Of the 562 households successfully contacted, 175 (31.1%) declined to participate, and 204 (36.3%) were excluded; 183 (32.6%) were enrolled. Enrolled households included 183 index patients and 439 household contacts (Table). CNN is only US outlet living through Shanghai lockdown. CDC twenty four seven. These findings are subject to at least six limitations. Experts believe the virus that causes COVID-19 spreads mainly from person to person. 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