- COVID-19 spreads very easily from person to person . COVID-19 most commonly spreads during close contact.
- People who are physically near (within 6 feet) a person with COVID-19 or have direct contact with that person are at greatest risk of infection.
- When people with COVID-19 cough, sneeze, sing, talk, or breathe they produce respiratory droplets. These droplets can range in size from larger droplets (some of which are visible) to smaller droplets. Small droplets can also form particles when they dry very quickly in the airstream.
- Infections occur mainly through exposure to respiratory droplets when a person is in close contact with someone who has COVID-19.
- Respiratory droplets cause infection when they are inhaled or deposited on mucous membranes, such as those that line the inside of the nose and mouth.
- As the respiratory droplets travel further from the person with COVID-19, the concentration of these droplets decreases. Larger droplets fall out of the air due to gravity. Smaller droplets and particles spread apart in the air.
- With passing time, the amount of infectious virus in respiratory droplets also decreases.
- COVID-19 can sometimes be spread by airborne transmission. Available data indicate that it is much more common for the virus that causes COVID-19 to spread through close contact with a person who has COVID-19 than through airborne transmission
- COVID-19 rarely spreads between people and animals
- COVID-19 spreads less commonly through contact with contaminated surfaces.‘Only if you touch the contaminated surface and touch your face’. Even if you touch surfaces, it should not be a problem if you wash hands properly or use sanitizer/disinfectant.
- Respiratory droplets can also land on surfaces and objects. It is possible that a person could get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes.
Precautions that could probably protect from getting infected. As of not nothing is 100% effective in prevention of Covid-19, but these practices would help us to be less susceptible:
- Maintain physical distance between people when you go outside.
- Wear an approved mask when you are outside. Do not touch the mask with your hands once you wear it. Though effectiveness of wearing masks is debatable, it at least stops droplets from our mouth and nose to an extent.
- Wash your hands with a good quality soap or use a alcohol based sanitizer / disinfectant when.
- Clean frequently touched surfaces with a disinfectant.
*Do read the Disclaimer
References:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-covid-spreads.html
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters