Keeping Our Communities Safe & Healthy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Because COVID-19 is a newly identified illness, we are continuously learning more details regarding the various ways that the virus can be transmitted and cause illness. The most recent information scientists have suggests that COVID-19 mainly spreads through close contact from person to person, including between people who are physically near each other (within about six feet). People who are infected but do not show symptoms can also spread the virus to others. People who are physically near (within six feet) a person with COVID-19 or have direct contact with that person are at greatest risk of infection. When people with COVID-19 cough, sneeze, sing, talk, or breathe they produce respiratory droplets. Infections occur mainly through exposure to respiratory droplets when a person is in close contact with someone who has COVID-19. Respiratory droplets cause infection when they are inhaled or deposited on mucous membranes, such as those that line the inside of the nose and mouth.

Some infections can be spread by exposure to virus in small droplets and particles that can linger in the air for minutes to hours. These viruses may be able to infect people who are further than six feet away from the person who is infected or after that person has left the space. This kind of spread is referred to as airborne transmission. There is evidence that under certain conditions, people with COVID-19 seem to have infected others who were more than six feet away. These transmissions occurred within enclosed spaces that had inadequate ventilation. Sometimes the infected person was breathing heavily, for example while singing or exercising. *

Data has also shown that COVID-19 can be transmitted by individuals who are ‘asymptomatic,’ meaning that they do not know they are infected with the virus.  The virus is quite transmissible, which means that it spreads relatively easily from person-to-person within a community. The latest updates on COVID-19 from the CDC can be found here: CDC’s webpage.

The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to track the number of countries and territories where COVID-19 has been identified. The United States has the greatest number of confirmed cases and deaths worldwide. Current U.S. data suggests that COVID-19 is impacting some communities and demographic groups disproportionately, including Black/African American and Latino individuals. Individuals at increased risk for severe illness include older adults (the older you are, the greater your risk for severe illness) and individuals with underlying health conditions.

Outbreaks involving novel viruses evolve quickly and guidance from public health officials is changing as research continues to characterize the nature and transmission dynamics of this virus.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-covid-spreads.html