Id prefer that these events require proof of vaccination and same-day negative test result. Omicron transmission occurred in 124 (67.8%) of 183 households. Index patients and household contacts participated in voluntary telephone interviews to retrospectively collect information on demographic characteristics, SARS-CoV-2 testing, symptoms, COVID-19 vaccination history, previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, index patient isolation practices (defined as always or sometimes isolating in a room by oneself at any point during their potentially infectious period), and index patient mask use practices (defined as ever wearing a mask at home during their potentially infectious period). Lynn E. Sosa reports being a past Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists STD Subcommittee chair. Some persons who were fully vaccinated had unknown dates for completion of their primary vaccination series. If you need to go back and make any changes, you can always do so by going to our Privacy Policy page. But that shouldn't cause you to lose sight of the advantages of socializing outdoors, she adds. If you are attending an outdoor gatheringeven when community levels are medium or lowyou should still be cautious about masking and social distancing, especially in large crowds. The new year arrived with an omicron-fueled surge in COVID cases in Alameda County, causing widespread concern and resulting in a number of event cancellations and temporary business closures that recall the pandemic's earlier days.. According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), BA.5 accounts for 65% of all COVID-19 cases in the U.S.; in just two months, the subvariant managed to outcompete BA.2 and BA.2.12.1the two previously dominant subvariants. For example, if you work in an office that has pretty good ventilation and is well-spaced, and requires proof of vaccination, you may consider not masking in that setting. Ventilation is very important. In any community where transmission is very intense, I would say its best to be in small groups, Patel said. Household contact ARs ranged from a low of 47.5% (19 of 40) when the index patient was aged 511 years to a high of 72.0% (18 of 25) when the index patient was aged 04 years. . Health and Human Services. Upon taking a closer look at the new subvariant, scientists discovered that BA.5 has mutations in the spike protein that may allow it to evade the immune systems first line of defenseantibodiesraising the likelihood that itll cause a new wave of infections and reinfections, especially in people with low or waning immunity. If a community level is high, you may want to reschedule your trip or be extra cautious. It's this increased transmissibility that can make activities that were previously thought of safer (but not completely risk-free) options, more risky. 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). and/or the original MMWR paper copy for printable versions of official text, figures, and tables. This, to me, is no different from a decision to go back to the gym, resume travel or dine indoors in restaurants. Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of
In other words, 10 people crowded at an al fresco table doesnt equal safety just because there are only a handful of people around. cases are rising modestly in the Northeast, Philadelphia has reinstituted an indoor mask mandate, BA.2 is a subvariant of the Omicron variant. Despite Omicron's rapid spread, the good news is that COVID-19 strategies like vaccination, masking, and social distancing could slow its transmission. 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. 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. BA.5's mutations have also allowed it to sneak past the body's immune system more easily. On smooth surfaces, Omicron lasted more than a week, while infectious amounts of the original virus were recovered up to just four days on polypropylene plastic and stainless and up to seven days on glass. As for indoor activities outside of homemask up, even if your trips are brief, she recommended: Its more possible than ever to catch COVID in passing. These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. (Of course, football games have been postponed this season because of COVID outbreaks, but the study's authors believe that players were more likely spreading it in locker rooms and other shared indoor spaces.). Other members of the scientific and medical community also had mixed views on what this new study actually tells us about how Omicron spreads. Emanuel Goldman, a microbiology professor at the New Jersey Medical School of Rutgers University, said in an article published in The Lancet journal in 2020 that the risk of COVID-19 infection from surfaces at that time was "exaggerated.". How to Have a Sick Day When You Cant Actually Call Off Work. Millions of people in China have been forced into lockdown, ordered to stay home to protect themselves from the countrys biggest COVID-19 outbreak in two years. The AR was lower among household contacts of index patients who isolated (41.2%, 99 of 240) compared with those of index patients who did not isolate (67.5%, 112 of 166) (p-value <0.01). Dr. Gerald Evans, chair of the division of infectious diseases at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., agreed that alongside other personal protections like mask-wearing and vaccinations, basic hand hygiene remains a smart way to ward off this virus. The questions below are written in past tense to help you assess the likelihood that you were infected when you were around a person with COVID-19. Persons were provided with the following list of signs and symptoms compatible with COVID-19: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea or abdominal pain during the course of their recent illness. You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Emerg Infect Dis 2022;28:7569. Requiring face coverings in outdoor school settings is now a local decision. These findings are subject to at least six limitations. The second thing to think about is, what is your medical situation and the circumstances of others in your household? Persons who reported any signs or symptoms during the course of their recent illness were considered to have COVID-19compatible symptoms. The key is really just ensuring that theres adequate distancing, particularly if youre in a situation where someone sneezes or coughs within a few feet of you, Roberts emphasized. Updated 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. What Do Epidemiologists Think? The information in this story is what was known or available as of publication, but guidance can change as scientists discover more about the virus. Studies conducted prior to omicron show that being outside greatly reduces your risk of infection with the coronavirus. 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. Abbreviations: Full = fully vaccinated; HC = household contact; IP = index patient; Partial = partially vaccinated; Unvacc = unvaccinated. See what it's like. Many of these variants' mutations have little or no impact on how the virus affects humans. The short answer here is yes, you can get infected with the BA.5 subvariant, even in outdoor settings. Arinjay Banerjee, a virologist working with the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, echoed that. 241(d); 5 U.S.C. Research suggests that outdoor transmission, when it does occur, typically results from prolonged close contact. That leaves it mostly to individuals to protect themselves. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. For both index patients and household contacts, the onset date was either the date of SARS-CoV-2 positive test result or date of symptom onset, whichever occurred first. Washington, DC: US Travel Association; 2021. ** An index patient with a confirmed COVID-19 case was the first person with a positive SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid amplification test result or antigen test result (through local or home testing) reported in a household. How should people weigh which precautions they want to follow? Serial intervals and household transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, South Korea, 2021. CDC twenty four seven. These data points raise a sort of transmission paradox. Ensuring you are able to distance even in an outdoor setting can only help reduce the risk of spread, Roberts stated. Saving Lives, Protecting People, Given new evidence on the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, CDC has updated the, The White House announced that vaccines will be required for international travelers coming into the United States, with an effective date of November 8, 2021. At this point, the definition of outdoors isnt exactly agreed upon, Roberts noted. 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. Were hearing anecdotal reports of people testing positive who think they got it outdoors, said Dr. Scott Roberts, associate medical director of Infection Prevention at Yale New Haven Hospital. In just over five months, there were 22,334 confirmed SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infections, 31 hospitalizations and no COVID-19 deaths. Slightly less transmissible were the 1918 pandemic strain of flu, which had an estimated R0 of 2, as does Ebola. First, what is the Covid-19 risk in your community? May 6, 2022. All but one of the 183 included households had sequence-confirmed Omicron; this one household had probable Omicron through variant specific qPCR in which the specimen had mutations consistent with the Omicron variant (K417N+ and L452R). "When a variant is slated to be more or less transmissible than another, it applies as a blanket statement regardless of setting,'' said Dr. Weissenbach. Nevertheless, in its coronavirus profile, the RKI also posits that "overall, transmissions outdoors rarely occur. Like previous variants, its spread through direct contact and is airborne. 95% CIs for attack rates are represented by error bars. On several types of paper, infectious amounts of ancestral SARS-CoV-2 were only recoverable for five to 15 minutes compared to more than 30 minutes for Omicron. To help us with these questions, I spoke with CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. It again depends on whats going on in your community, what your medical situation is, and how much you want to keep avoiding Covid-19. Did you encounter any technical issues? If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance. In each instance, infectious amounts of Omicron were recovered for longer amounts of time than the samples of the original virus. **** 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. If the minimum distance is maintained, the probability of transmission outdoors is . 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