Covid-19: what is the contagion risk offered by each activity? | Coronavirus

The table was prepared by a group of 14 doctors from the covid-19 working group and the TMA Infectious Diseases Committee. They are specialists in public health, epidemiology, and infectious diseases.

“It is a graph made for Texas, but it can be used in other countries. We have to consider the differences in the realities of each place, of course, but there are also many things that are similar,” Dr. John Carlo told BBC News Brazil . , a public health specialist and member of the TMA, who participated in the preparation of the table.

Going to the gym, going to bars and religious services with more than 500 faithful are some of the highest risk activities.

How was the ranking made?

The activities received scores from 1 (least risky) to 10 (most risky) according to the following criteria: whether they were carried out indoors or outdoors; the proximity of other people; the time of exposure to the virus; the likelihood of maintaining virus prevention practices, such as wearing a mask, and personal risk, that is, the possibility that a person will become infected while performing the activity.

For all the activities on the list, the doctors assumed that the participants would wear masks, keep at least two meters away from strangers, and wash their hands whenever possible.

“This is the result of a collective and subjective effort, it is the point of view of a group of doctors who had to answer how these activities compare with each other in terms of risk. But only the person himself can know the conditions under which You will practice each activity and determine the total risk, “said John Carlo.

This is the case of shopping centers and beaches, which appear in the same category. Although a shopping center is usually a closed environment, what the person frequents can be spacious and well ventilated, which allows maintaining social distance. And the beach in question, although it is an open space, can be crowded.

The doctor also points out that even the risk of the same type of business can vary depending on the reality of each location.

“The best example, for me, is the item ‘go to the beauty salon or the barbershop.’ Here we have salons where you are the only client, everything is very clean, and both people can wear a mask. The risk is smaller than in a room where there are many people together, ”he says.

“It is necessary to use common sense about the setting in which each activity is going to be practiced. Our chart is a good guide, but people have to analyze their own cases.”

The Texas government caused controversy in the United States by being one of the first to announce the reopening of its economy and the resumption of normal activities in May.

In July, during the American summer, the state averaged 10,000 new cases a week, one of the highest rates of COVID-19 infections in the country.

Now, the rate of new infections in Texas is considered to be declining, according to a survey by The New York Times, using official data.