Moreover, the . A majority of index patients were White (59.0%, 108 of 183), and 21.3% (39 of 183) were Hispanic/Latino. Omicron subvariant BA.5 may be the most contagious version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that we've seen yetand even situations that have seemed relatively low-risk as of late, like outdoor gatherings, may now pose a greater threat. Partially vaccinated was defined as having only 1 dose of a 2-dose series or completing the primary vaccination series <2 weeks before the index date. The subvariant made up 74% of new infections as of April 16, 2022. Outdoor transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses is possible, but the odds are much lower than indoor transmission, according to a recent study."We wanted to better. "The mutations of BA.5 impact its spike protein in part and result in some important 'upgrades' in the ability of the virus to infect humans more quickly and also attach to the lungs," Dr. Blaivas said. Omicron Subvariants Mean Outdoor Covid Risk Is Different Now Media outlets report on the rise of omicron BA.5, and how subvariants like this are leading to new covid surges and have. To receive email updates about COVID-19, enter your email address: We take your privacy seriously. It also helps to evaporate the liquid droplets in which it is. But others, such as the genetic changes in the delta variant, can make the coronavirus . First, what is the Covid-19 risk in your community? Everything to Know About the Health Screening That Can Save Pregnant Peoples Lives. According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), BA.5 accounts for 65% of all COVID-19 cases in the U.S.; in just two months, the subvariant managed to outcompete BA.2 and BA.2.12.1the two previously dominant subvariants. "If you are young and healthy or fully immunized, BA.5 may still make you feel pretty rotten for a while and some people can get very sick from it, so know your risks.". Even so, he said the findings suggest it's worth being cautious. BA.5 is just one of the latest subvariants to come from the original Omicron lineage, Michael Blaivas, MD, chief medical officer at Anavasi Diagnostics, told Health. See the Interactive Home Ventilation Tool. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. While outdoor transmission of COVID-19 in low-risk settings is "generally uncommon," Dr. Adalja says that it's . Applying that to real life is an entirely different thing," he said. Paxlovid Is Super Promising. Persons with sequence-confirmed Omicron variant infections during November 2021February 2022 were identified from four U.S. jurisdictions (Chicago, Illinois; Connecticut; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Utah) and contacted by telephone to assess eligibility of the household to participate in the investigation. A household was eligible if the index patient did not live in a congregate setting and did live with at least one other person for most of their potentially infectious period, defined as 2 days before through 10 days after the index date (the date of the index patients positive SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid amplification test result or antigen test result or symptom onset, whichever occurred first). She is also author of Lifelines: A Doctors Journey in the Fight for Public Health.. MMWR and Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report are service marks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Roberts added that since BA.5 is more transmissible than prior variants indoors, it is likely that its more transmissible outdoors, too. When do infected people transmit the virus? According to Dr. Blaivas, it's helpful to think of these changes in BA.5 (and other variants that have outcompeted their predecessors) as "upgrades" to make them better fit to survive (aka, infect humans). Received a booster dose was defined as having received an additional dose after completion of the primary COVID-19 vaccination series before the index date. Household contact ARs ranged from a low of 47.5% (19 of 40) when the index patient was aged 511 years to a high of 72.0% (18 of 25) when the index patient was aged 04 years. As such, Omicron has a slightly shorter clearance phase, 5.35 days as compared to 6.23 days for Delta, as Omicron has a lower peak viral load. "So the safest place you can be [with other people] is still going to be outdoors," she says. If it was unclear who within the household was the index patient (e.g., if multiple persons developed COVID-19compatible symptoms in the household on the same day or had the same SARS-CoV-2 exposure) or if household contacts had confirmed or probable cases and were known to have a SARS-CoV-2 exposure to someone other than the index patient, the household was excluded from analyses. Are we back to square one with the pandemic? "The risk of transmission is much lower . Song JS, Lee J, Kim M, et al. If you're immunocompromised yourself, Lighter adds, wear a face mask indoors or in a particularly . Because SARS-CoV-2 testing was not available for all household contacts, ability to detect asymptomatic infections was limited. "Slipping on the ice or getting in an accident on the way [to an outdoor rendezvous] is probably more likely than getting COVID outside," Malani says. The New York Times reported that studies of the variant on mice and hamsters have shown that omicron is not . Wind speeds of less than 5.5 miles per hour (mph) seemed to . Received a booster dose was defined as having received an additional dose after completion of the primary COVID-19 vaccination series before the index date. Of course, omicron is the most transmissible variant yet. We reserve the right to close comments at any time. Transmission occurred within 67.8% (124 of 183) of households, and the overall AR among household contacts with known status was 52.7% (227 of 431) (Figure 2). The outdoors have always been a sanctuaryeven more so since the advent of the pandemic. provided as a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply When possible, SARS-CoV-2 testing data were supplemented with or verified using state or jurisdiction registry data. Mutations and natural selection can help subsequent versions of a virus get stronger and stronger in different ways, which seems to be happening with the Covid-19 coronavirus. But the same factors that make indoor settings riskycrowded spaces, poor air circulation, the sharing of food and drinkcan also increase your chances of contracting COVID outside. These are all reasonable decisions depending on how you think about your own risk. The information in this story is what was known or available as of publication, but guidance can change as scientists discover more about the virus. Outdoor airflow has done a good job dispersing pathogens. Are there settings where people should consider masking outdoors? DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7109e1. ARs were high across all household contact vaccination categories but lowest among those who received a booster dose (47.8%, 54 of 113) or were fully vaccinated <5 months before the index date (50.0%, 14 of 28). Sect. The new year arrived with an omicron-fueled surge in COVID cases in Alameda County, causing widespread concern and resulting in a number of event cancellations and temporary business closures that recall the pandemic's earlier days.. . 5 Norovirus Symptoms That Can Hit You Really, Really Hard, This Simple Morning Habit Can Help You Sleep Way Better at Night, Jane Fonda Shared Her Simplest Tip for Fighting Depression as You Get Older, CDC Warns Against OTC Eye Drops Linked to 50 Infections in 11 States. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. 95% CIs for attack rates are represented by error bars. BA.5's increased transmission and our diminished immune defenses mean that COVID-19 transmission outdoors has become more likely. First, this investigation used a convenience sample of persons with sequence-confirmed Omicron infections, and participation in this investigation was voluntary. Accessed February 23, 2022. Most index patients (88.4%, 152 of 172) and household contacts (78.7%, 140 of 178) with confirmed cases reported COVID-19compatible symptoms. When asked about the new Hong Kong results, he said any findings based on the "same old techniques" in a laboratory don't change that, since figuring out transmission is about more than just how viruses survive within controlled settings. A computer modeling study conducted in 2021 found that certain conditionslike wind speed and direction and cool, moist ground temperaturesplay an important role in airborne transmission. On Twitter: @milepostmedia. How does COVID-19 spread between people? These data points raise a sort of transmission paradox. Roberts stressed that COVID spread outdoors is much less common than spread indoors, but nothing is perfect. Outdoors Lower Risk Well-ventilated indoors Moderate Risk Poorly ventilated indoors Higher Risk What . Its no surprise, then, that more and more stories have emerged of people speculating that they caught COVID-19 outside, which can be a bit unsettling to hear as cases continue to rise in many parts of the country. ** Persons provided retrospective information about any SARS-CoV-2 testing that they chose and were able to perform. Outdoor settings remain safer than indoor gatherings, from a Covid transmission standpoint. Third, how important is it to you to continue to avoid Covid-19? Linsey Marr, a researcher on the airborne transmission of viruses like SARS-CoV-2 and a professor at Virginia Tech, agreed that the results show Omicron seems to survive better, which could be contributing to its heightened transmissibility. Outdoor settings were generally considered "safe" during the COVID-19 pandemic. But you might still decide to mask in crowded, indoor places like grocery stores and train stations. "From a virus standpoint, there's no indication that omicron is behaving differently [in outdoor settings]," says Dr. Preeti Malani, an infectious disease professor at the University of Michigan who co-authored an editorial on the research on football teams. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I do not think that people need to mask outdoors, but there may be situations where someone is extremely vulnerable for example, a cancer patient on chemotherapy and wants to be extra careful. According to an Epidemiological Update from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), "the current growth advantage for the BA.4 and BA.5 variants of concerncompared to the dominant variant BA.2 is probably due to their ability to evade immune protection against infection induced by prior infection and/or vaccination, particularly if this has waned over time." Age at index date was determined from date of birth or self-reported age. It appears that outdoor transmission has become more likely with the newer variants over the past year (i.e., since delta) as they have become more transmissible, but outdoors remains a much lower-risk setting than indoors, Dr. Marr explains. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website. See the Interactive Home Ventilation Tool. Overall, engaging in outdoor activities is less risky than going to indoor venues. How Well Do Rapid COVID Tests Detect Omicron and Its Subvariants? California's winter COVID-19 surge intensified Wednesday, with new overall coronavirus cases likely tied to holiday gatherings spiking up, along with confirmed cases of the Omicron strain. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. . More outdoor air can decrease the risk of transmission. Fourth, the interval analysis reflected time between dates of a positive test result or symptom onset, not date of infection, and did not account for duration of symptoms and prevention strategies, such as frequency of mask use. Omicron transmission occurred in 124 (67.8%) of 183 households. Thats different if you are immunocompromised or live with someone who is elderly with multiple medical conditions. You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link. Biometrics 1988;44:104960. Being outside would be lower exposure risk than being indoors, even with good ventilation and filtration; both of those options would be lower risk than being indoors with poor ventilation or filtration. Events, dining, and even entire classrooms were moved outside, when feasible. As the United States navigates a third year of the Covid-19 pandemic, cases are rising modestly in the Northeast, Philadelphia has reinstituted an indoor mask mandate and some colleges are requiring masks during the final days of the spring semester. Many of these variants' mutations have little or no impact on how the virus affects humans. Fully vaccinated was defined as completion of the primary vaccination series 2 weeks before the index date and stratified into completion <5 months or 5 months before the index date. That, combined with the sheer volume of cases, could mean that there could be more cases of outdoor transmission, says Dr. Jill Weatherhead, assistant professor of adult and pediatric infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine. And at this stage of the pandemic, we have to find ways to do things that are meaningful to us. Some will think those activities are worth the risk. Despite Omicron's rapid spread, the good news is that COVID-19 strategies like vaccination, masking, and social distancing could slow its transmission. Updated COVID-19 booster vaccines are here. MedRxiv: "Transmission event of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant reveals multiple vaccine breakthrough infections." Persons reported their race (White, Black, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander) and ethnicity (Hispanic/Latino or non-Hispanic/Latino) from lists of options and had the opportunity to state another option if their race or ethnicity was not listed. Though the BA.5 wave hasnt caused a significant spike in hospitalizations or deaths in South Africa, certain locations hit by BA.5, like Portugal, have seen an uptick in hospitalizations. Among 431 household contacts, 227 were classified as having a case of COVID-19 (attack rate [AR] = 52.7%). Wear a well-fitting mask or respirator when the COVID-19 Community Level is high. an editorial on the research on football teams. That being said, not all outdoor spaces are created equal. SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Variant Transmission Within Households Four U.S. Jurisdictions, November 2021February 2022. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Heres What You Should Know About BA.5 Symptoms and Severity, A Devastating Number of Americans Will Experience Long COVID. These cookies may also be used for advertising purposes by these third parties. A probable case in a household contact was defined as the presence of COVID-19compatible symptoms in a household contact during the same 14-day period, but without confirmation by a SARS-CoV-2 test. Vaccination status was based primarily on self-report; participants were categorized as having received a booster dose, fully vaccinated (<5 or 5 months before the index date), partially vaccinated, or unvaccinated., The interval between the index date and onset of symptoms or positive test result in a household contact was calculated. Lets say you work in a well-ventilated office, everyone around you is vaccinated, and you are well-distanced from the next person. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. Revelers can still hold indoor. Of the 562 households successfully contacted, 175 (31.1%) declined to participate, and 204 (36.3%) were excluded; 183 (32.6%) were enrolled. Enrolled households included 183 index patients and 439 household contacts (Table). Depending on how the virus affects humans households included 183 index patients and 439 household contacts, ability detect! 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