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Surfaces? Sneezes? Sex? How the Coronavirus Can and Cannot Spread Surfaces? Sneezes? Sex? How the Coronavirus Can and Cannot Spread
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[This article is part of the developing coronavirus coverage, and may be outdated. Go here for the latest on the coronavirus.]
A delicate but highly contagious virus, roughly one-900th the width of a human hair, is spreading from person to person around the world. The coronavirus, as it’s known, has already infected more than 200,000 people in 140 countries. A delicate but highly contagious virus, roughly one-900th the width of a human hair, is spreading from person to person around the world. The coronavirus, as it’s known, has already infected people in at least 140 countries.
Because this virus is so new, experts’ understanding of how it spreads is limited. They can, however, offer some guidance about how it does — and does not — seem to be transmitted.Because this virus is so new, experts’ understanding of how it spreads is limited. They can, however, offer some guidance about how it does — and does not — seem to be transmitted.
You walk into a crowded grocery store. A shopper has the coronavirus. What puts you most at risk of getting infected by that person? You walk into a crowded grocery store. A shopper has coronavirus. What puts you most at risk of getting infected by that person?
Experts agree they have a great deal to learn, but four factors are likely to play some role: how close you get; how long you are near the person; whether that person projects viral droplets on you; and how much you touch your face. (Of course, your age and health are also major factors.) Experts agree they have a great deal to learn, but four factors likely play some role: how close you get; how long you are near the person; whether that person projects viral droplets on you; and how much you touch your face. (Of course, your age and health are also major factors.)
Also, the larger the number of people in the store — or in any other situation — the greater the chance that you’ll cross paths with an infected person, which is why so many health officials are now urging people to avoid crowds and to cancel gatherings large and small. It is a droplet containing viral particles. A virus is a tiny codependent microbe that attaches to a cell, takes over, makes more of itself and moves on to its next host. This is its “lifestyle,” said Gary Whittaker, a professor of virology at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.
It is a droplet containing viral particles. A virus is a tiny codependent microbe that attaches to a cell, takes over, makes more of itself and moves on to its next host. This is its “lifestyle,” said Gary Whittaker, a professor of virology at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. A “naked” virus can’t go anywhere unless it’s hitching a ride with a droplet of mucus or saliva, said Kin-on Kwok, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care.
A “naked” virus can’t go anywhere unless it’s hitching a ride with a droplet of mucus or saliva, said Kin-on Kwok, a professor at the Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. These mucus and saliva droplets are ejected from the mouth or nose as we cough, sneeze, laugh, sing, breathe and talk. If they don’t hit something along the way, they typically land on the floor or ground.
These mucus and saliva droplets are ejected from the mouth or the nose as we cough, sneeze, laugh, sing, breathe and talk. If they don’t hit something along the way, they typically land on the floor or the ground. When the virus becomes suspended in droplets smaller than five micrometers — known as aerosols — it can stay suspended for about a half-hour, research suggests. To get access to your cells, the viral droplets must enter through the eyes, nose or mouth. Some experts believe that sneezing and coughing are likely the primary forms of transmission. Professor Kwok said talking face-to-face or sharing a meal with someone could pose a risk.
To gain access to your cells, the viral droplets must enter through the eyes, the nose or the mouth. Some experts believe that sneezing and coughing are most likely the primary forms of transmission. Professor Kwok said talking face-to-face or sharing a meal with someone could pose a risk. Julian Tang, a virologist and professor at the University of Leicester in England who is researching coronavirus with Professor Kwok, agreed.
Julian Tang, a virologist and a professor at the University of Leicester in England who is researching the coronavirus with Professor Kwok, agreed.
“If you can smell what someone had for lunch — garlic, curry, etc. — you are inhaling what they are breathing out, including any virus in their breath,” he said.“If you can smell what someone had for lunch — garlic, curry, etc. — you are inhaling what they are breathing out, including any virus in their breath,” he said.
The virus does not linger in the air at high enough levels to be a risk to most people. But the techniques health care workers use to care for sick people can generate high levels of aerosols. This is part of why it’s so important that they have proper protective equipment. Christian Lindmeier, a spokesman for the World Health Organization, said it’s best to stay three feet from a sick person.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends keeping a distance of six feet from other people to minimize the possibility of infection. (A useful way to think about six feet is that it’s roughly twice the length of the average person’s extended arm.) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that standing within six feet could carry risk.
Three feet is the distance the W.H.O. emphasizes as particularly risky when standing near a person who is coughing or sneezing.
Still, other public health experts say that at this crucial moment, when the world still has an opportunity to slow the transmission of the coronavirus, any number of feet is too close. By cutting out all but essential in-person interactions, we can help flatten the curve, they say, keeping the number of sick people to levels that medical providers can manage.
It’s not yet clear, but most experts agree that more time equals more risk.It’s not yet clear, but most experts agree that more time equals more risk.
Not necessarily.Not necessarily.
Fever, coughing, chest pain and shortness of breath may signal that someone has been infected with the coronavirus. (Covid-19 is the name for the disease caused by the virus.) Keep in mind that if you do get sick, most symptoms are as mild as a cold or the flu. Still, others who are infected with coronavirus never fall ill at all. (Technically, COVID-19 is the name for the sickness caused by the respiratory virus.)
But it has become increasingly clear that people without symptoms can also infect others. In some cases, these people may later feel terrible enough to try to get tested, isolate themselves, seek treatment and notify friends and colleagues about potential risk. In still other cases, people with the virus may never experience the physical discomfort that would tip them off to the fact that they have been a danger to others. But the flip side of this is that it can be hard to tell who is capable of spreading coronavirus.
Yes. After numerous people who attended a Buddhist temple in Hong Kong fell ill, the city’s Center for Health Protection collected samples from the site. Restroom faucets and the cloth covers over Buddhist texts tested positive for the coronavirus, the agency said. In a growing number of cases, people without symptoms have infected others. The W.H.O. still believes that most of those who have spread coronavirus were clearly ill at the time of transmission, Mr. Lindmeier said.
This coronavirus is just the latest of many similarly shaped viruses. (Coronaviruses are named for the spikes that protrude from their surfaces, which resemble a crown or the sun’s corona.) Yes. After numerous people who attended a Buddhist temple in Hong Kong fell ill, the city’s Center for Health Protection collected samples from the site. Restroom faucets and the cloth covers over Buddhist texts tested positive for coronavirus, the agency said.
A recent study of the novel coronavirus found that it could live for three days on plastic and steel. If you are ordering lots of supplies online, you may be relieved to know that the virus did poorly on cardboard — it disintegrated over the course of a day. It survived for about four hours on copper. Technically, the virus widely known as the coronavirus is just the latest of many similarly shaped viruses. (Coronaviruses are named for the spikes that protrude from their surfaces, which resemble a crown or the sun’s corona.) A study of other coronaviruses found they remained on metal, glass and plastic for two hours to nine days.
Whether a surface looks dirty or clean is irrelevant. If an infected person sneezed and a droplet landed on a surface, a person who then touched that surface could pick it up. How much is required to infect a person is unclear. Whether a surface looks dirty or clean is irrelevant. If an infected person sneezed and a droplet landed on a surface, a person who then touches that surface could pick it up. How much is required to infect a person is unclear.
But as long as you wash your hands before touching your face, you should be OK, because viral droplets don’t pass through skin. Coronaviruses are relatively easy to destroy, Professor Whittaker said. Using a simple disinfectant on a surface is nearly guaranteed to break the delicate envelope that surrounds the tiny microbe, rendering it harmless.
Also, coronaviruses are relatively easy to destroy. Using a simple disinfectant on a surface is nearly guaranteed to break the delicate envelope that surrounds the tiny microbe, rendering it harmless, Professor Whittaker said. As long as you wash your hands before touching your face, you should be OK, because viral droplets don’t pass through skin.
If you are concerned about getting sick from someone who might have sneezed onto a product you’ve ordered that’s made in China, don’t worry. In the time it takes to get to the United States, you should be safe, and if you are really concerned, you can clean the surface with a disinfectant or wash your hands after touching it.
No, several experts said.No, several experts said.
There is no evidence that viral particles can go through walls or glass, said Dr. Ashish K. Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute.There is no evidence that viral particles can go through walls or glass, said Dr. Ashish K. Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute.
He said he was more concerned about the dangers posed by common spaces than those posed by vents, provided there is good air circulation in a room. He said he was more concerned about common spaces than dangers posed by vents, provided there is good air circulation in a room.
An infected neighbor might sneeze on a railing and if you touched it, “that would be a more natural way to get it from your neighbor,” he said.An infected neighbor might sneeze on a railing and if you touched it, “that would be a more natural way to get it from your neighbor,” he said.
Kissing could definitely spread it, several experts said.Kissing could definitely spread it, several experts said.
Though coronaviruses are not typically sexually transmitted, it’s too soon to know, the W.H.O. said.Though coronaviruses are not typically sexually transmitted, it’s too soon to know, the W.H.O. said.
If a sick person handles the food or it’s a high-traffic buffet, then risks cannot be ruled out — but heating or reheating food should kill the virus, Professor Whittaker said.If a sick person handles the food or it’s a high-traffic buffet, then risks cannot be ruled out — but heating or reheating food should kill the virus, Professor Whittaker said.
Dr. Jha concurred.Dr. Jha concurred.
“As a general rule, we haven’t seen that food is a mechanism for spreading,” he said.“As a general rule, we haven’t seen that food is a mechanism for spreading,” he said.
Thousands of people have already begun various types of quarantines. Some have been mandated by health officials, while others are voluntary and primarily involve staying home. Thousands of people have already begun various types of quarantines. Some have been mandated by health officials, and others are voluntary and primarily involve staying home.
Can a cat or dog join someone to make quarantine less lonely?Can a cat or dog join someone to make quarantine less lonely?
Professor Whittaker, who has studied the spread of coronaviruses in animals and humans, said that he had seen no evidence that people who have the virus could be a danger to their pets. Professor Whittaker, who has studied the spread of coronaviruses in animals and humans, said he’s seen no evidence that a person could be a danger to their pet.
Apoorva Mandavilli contributed reporting.