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Even if the government has begun easing lockdown restrictions, it is wise to avoid dining out until a cure for COVID-19 is found. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that there are high chances of contracting COVID-19 from restaurants due to poor air circulation despite adhering to social distancing measures. Also, it is not always possible to wear masks in restaurants, which could further increase the risk of exposure.
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released by the CDC on Sept. 11 suggested that dining out is riskier compared to activities like shopping or visiting someone’s home, which don’t require people to remove their masks. The findings are based on research of adults 18 years of age and older who sought to test for SARS-CoV-2 at 11 centers in the US from July 1 to July 29.
Eating out linked to COVID-19 infection
The CDC study found that adults who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 were twice as likely to have reported having dinner at a restaurant 14 days before becoming ill than those who tested negative.
Activities that make it difficult to maintain mask use and social distancing, such as dining out or eating at the venue, could be significant risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection, the research noted.
About half of the study participants reported having made purchases or visits with people inside their homes at least one day during the 14 days before the test.
Among adults with COVID-19, more than 49 percent reported having had close contact with a COVID-19 positive person, mostly family members.
An earlier investigation from China published in April also reported a COVID-19 transmission incident at a restaurant in Guangzhou, China, where a coronavirus-positive diner transmitted the infection to nine more people who dined there. The study indicated the transmission of droplets by ventilation with air conditioning.
Daycare centers can transmit COVID-19
In another study published by the CDC on the same day, researchers noted that child care centers may play a role in the spread of COVID-19.
According to the study, 12 children tested positive for the virus in three daycare centers in Utah, United States, and some of them transmitted the virus to their parents. An 8-month-old baby, who was one of 12 children with COVID-19 in the study, infected both parents.
Two or three asymptomatic children also transmitted the disease, and this finding adds to speculation that children without symptoms may also transmit COVID-19.
As mentioned in the CDC report, Salt Lake County also identified two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in daycare facilities in a 14-day period, from April 1 to July 10. At two of the facilities, the source of the primary infection was traced to staff members exposed to Covid-19 through a family member.
However, the researchers were unable to identify the source of the outbreak at the third center. They assumed that the infection may have originated elsewhere.
Contact testing of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases in child care settings, including asymptomatic children, could improve control of transmission from child care attendees to family members, the CDC noted.
Posted: September 13, 2020 10:10 am | Updated: September 13, 2020 10:27 am
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