Doctors Rank Activities Posing Greatest Risks for Contracting Coronavirus; Coronavirus May Technically Be ‘Airborne,’ but That May Not Matter for Preventing Its Spread

By Fox News. With the coronavirus spiking in a number of states, a group of Texas doctors has released a ranked list on how risky certain activities are when it comes to contracting COVID-19.

The Texas Medical Association’s COVID-19 Task Force and Committee on Infectious Diseases ranked 37 activities on a scale of 1-10.

Opening the mail? The lowest risk activity, with a score of 1. Going to a bar? High risk – scoring a 9.

The group’s president, Dr. Diana Fite, has been urging residents to maintain good hand-washing hygiene, avoid going out as often as possible, follow social distancing guidelines and wear face masks in public.

Joining going to a bar as the riskiest activities are attending a large concert, going to a sports stadium and attending a religious service with more than 500 worshipers. (Read more from “Doctors Rank Activities Posing Greatest Risks for Contracting Coronavirus” HERE)

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Coronavirus May Technically Be ‘Airborne,’ but That May Not Matter for Preventing Its Spread

By Live Science. Experts agree that the novel coronavirus behind COVID-19 spreads through direct contact and large droplets that, once sneezed or coughed out, often fall harmlessly to the ground. But a recent letter signed by 239 scientists suggests that the virus may also spread by airborne transmission, lingering in the air for hours within lighter “microdroplets.” The letter challenges the most recent guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), urging the institution to recognize airborne transmission as a significant route of COVID-19 infection, and plan accordingly.

“We need to be attentive and mindful of all the important transmission pathways to make progress” with COVID-19, William Nazaroff, contributing author of the letter and professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California Berkeley, told Live Science.

On Tuesday (July 7), WHO said it is reviewing new evidence on whether COVID-19 can spread through airborne transmission, and would provide an update on the topic in the coming days, according to CNBC.

But epidemiologists and infectious disease experts are wary of the limited evidence for airborne transmission, and concerned that recent media reports on this letter will do more harm than good. “It is a shame that they felt the need to publish,” Paul Hunter, a professor at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom and a member of WHO’s infection prevention committee, told Live Science. What’s more, even if COVID-19 can spread via the airborne route, it’s likely this happens only in limited circumstances and doesn’t require additional precautions in most cases, experts said.

“Given the ample evidence that reducing droplet transmission works [to reduce COVID-19 spread], throwing other things into the mix only confuses people and undermines the World Health Organization at a critical time,” Hunter said. (Read more from “Coronavirus May Technically Be ‘Airborne,’ but That May Not Matter for Preventing Its Spread” HERE)

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