More everyday activities may be restricted again
Sadly, the fact that a new strain with a 50 percent higher rate of transmission has already been reported across the United States means that certain activities considered dangerous at the beginning of the pandemic will become unsafe again. If the infection rates do not drop, any indoor activity may pose a threat to one’s health.
“Maybe if I’m in New Zealand [where new virus cases have mostly hovered below 20 per day for months], I can go get a haircut,” says Julie Swann, PhD, a professor at North Carolina State University. “But I would not go in person to get a haircut if there’s a virus that’s 50 percent more transmissible spreading where I live,” she added. You shouldn’t take that risk, either! And here are 7 More Things You Shouldn’t Do in Public, According to Doctors.
Outdoor activities are considered safer
In light of the recently discovered COVID strains, it might be more dangerous to carry out certain activities, but nothing has changed in terms of what we should still to avoid contracting the virus, namely wearing face masks and avoid spending time indoors with other people. Outdoor activities are still considered relatively safe, even in the case of the highly-transmissible new strain.
Richard Lessells, MD, a University of KwaZulu-Natal infectious disease specialist in South Africa, says there’s a lot of misinformation about the outdoor transmission of the new strain, but, based on the evidence gathered so far, the risk of transmission outdoors is lower than indoors and “there’s no reason to believe the new variants change that equation substantially.”
Speaking of misconceptions, check out the 7 Biggest Myths About COVID-19 Vaccine That Could Jeopardize Your Life.
