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. But BA.5s heightened transmissibility will ultimately lead to more indoor and outdoor spread. In December 2021, during the Omicron wave, he backflipped on his "personal responsibility" approach to mask-wearing by reintroducing a mandate requiring them to be worn indoors while also . The protective measures we talked about early in the pandemic still work against Omicron. September 7, 2022. A variety of newsletters you'll love, delivered straight to you. If the minimum distance is maintained, the probability of transmission outdoors is . All but one of the 183 included households had sequence-confirmed Omicron; this one household had probable Omicron through variant specific qPCR in which the specimen had mutations consistent with the Omicron variant (K417N+ and L452R). Its all about how close you are to that person coupled with airflow [turnover] and ventilation of the space you are in, whether that is indoors or outdoors, Dr. Rohde says. Experts said people might consider wearing masks in crowded outdoors spaces to prevent infection. Biometrics 1988;44:104960. "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. Upon taking a closer look at the new subvariant, scientists discovered that BA.5 has mutations in the spike protein that may allow it to evade the immune systems first line of defenseantibodiesraising the likelihood that itll cause a new wave of infections and reinfections, especially in people with low or waning immunity. Having COVID more than once can increase your risk of hospitalization and long COVID. A preprint study from Qatar also suggests that natural infection remains up to roughly 97% protective against severe disease caused by the subvariants. All variants and subvariants have changes in their genetic code, compared to the original virus they came from. Researchers have said that while Covid infections can happen outdoors, the chances are massively reduced. 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. MedRxiv: "Transmission event of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant reveals multiple vaccine breakthrough infections." Persons who reported any signs or symptoms during the course of their recent illness were considered to have COVID-19compatible symptoms. Revelers can still hold indoor. 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. provided as a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply COVID Vaccine Needle Size MattersSo Why Arent We Hearing More About It. Yes, you can get BA.5 outdoors, but you could also contract other COVID variants outside, says Thomas Russo, M.D., professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New. Five studies described influenza transmission outdoors and 2 adenovirus transmission outdoors. And at this stage of the pandemic, we have to find ways to do things that are meaningful to us. When it comes to COVID, the outdoors are great for two main reasons: there's plenty of fresh air outside, and you have more space to keep a distance, Milton says. All Rights Reserved. Requiring face coverings in outdoor school settings is now a local decision. Ad Choices. Why it may be harder to catch COVID-19 from surfaces than we first thought, Acknowledge COVID-19 is airborne, Lancet report urges as more evidence mounts, Omicron subvariant BA.2 raises new questions about puzzling evolution of virus behind COVID-19, Why an Omicron infection alone might not offer the immune boost you'd expect. Although it makes sense that people would worry about getting a more contagious variant outdoors, it's likely that the current surge in cases doesn't have anything to do with outdoor spread. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. For the most cautious, a park or a hiking trail is the only truly outdoor space. New studies suggest that BA.4 and BA.5, currently sweeping the U.S. and countries around the globe, have a growth advantage over BA.2 similar to the growth advantage BA.2 had over BA.1. 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. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. While outdoor events are safer than indoor events, theyre not 100% safe, Majumder told the news outlet. And playing outdoors, Malani notes, is great for kids building snow structures and sledding in parts of the country that are now shivering in winter temperatures. Wen: Absolutely. Julia M. Baker, PhD1,2,*; Jasmine Y. Nakayama, PhD1,2,*; Michelle OHegarty, PhD1; Andrea McGowan, MPH1,3; Richard A. Teran, PhD2,4; Stephen M. Bart, PhD2,5; Katie Mosack, PhD6; Nicole Roberts, MPHTM7; Brooke Campos7; Alina Paegle7; John McGee7; Robert Herrera7; Kayla English, MPH4; Carla Barrios4,8; Alexandria Davis, MD4; Christine Roloff, MS4; Lynn E. Sosa, MD5; Jessica Brockmeyer, MPH5; Lindsey Page, MPH6; Amy Bauer6; Joshua J. Weiner, MS6; Manjeet Khubbar, MSc6; Sanjib Bhattacharyya, PhD6; Hannah L. Kirking, MD1; Jacqueline E. Tate, PhD1 (View author affiliations). Offers may be subject to change without notice. As statistics show, the highest rate of COVID-19 transmission occurs in indoor settings. This conversion might result in character translation or format errors in the HTML version. How does COVID-19 spread between people? The small sample size, especially for certain stratum-specific ARs, may limit overall generalizability of the results. See an archive of our FAQs here. If your own risk tolerance is low, certain outdoor situations could call for masking up. Cleaning hands at . When do infected people transmit the virus? Heres what experts know and dont know about COVID spread outdoors: At this point, we are very familiar with uncertainty when it comes to COVID. Add some good to your morning and evening. BA.5 caught the attention of public health experts after it quickly displaced the very transmissible BA.1 and BA.2 omicron subvariants. And while it is known that BA.4 and BA.5 are more transmissible than other variants, it is not yet clear if they are spreading outdoors any more than other variants. More information is available, Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People, https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003987, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), International Travel to and from the United States, Requirement for Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination for Air Passengers, Requirement for Proof of Negative COVID-19 Test or Documentation of Recovery from COVID-19 for Air Passengers Traveling to the United States from China, Hong Kong, or Macau, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. Right now were waiting on additional data to confirm that COVID transmission is occurring outdoors.. 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. Rodney E. Rohde, PhD, a virologist and professor of clinical laboratory science at Texas State University, tells SELF that many people have seen the outdoors as a get out of jail free cardbut that has never really been the case. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. cases are rising modestly in the Northeast, Philadelphia has reinstituted an indoor mask mandate, BA.2 is a subvariant of the Omicron variant. 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. Washington, DC: US Travel Association; 2021. "We've been so focused on airborne transmission and masks that, maybe, we've kind of neglected to wash our hands," Marr said. Iuliano AD, Brunkard JM, Boehmer TK, et al. Wen: The risk of outdoor transmission is very low to the point that its virtually nonexistent. But Marr stressed the study's conditions don't reflect real-world scenarios. Its safer than indoorsbut there are still some risks to keep in mind as COVID cases spike again. Activities like coughing, singing, shouting, or breathing heavily due to exertionincreasethe risk of transmission. ** Analysis for attack rates by combined vaccination status combined persons who were fully vaccinated or had received a booster dose into one category (full/booster) and persons who were partially vaccinated or unvaccinated into another category (partial/unvacc). Cookies used to enable you to share pages and content that you find interesting on CDC.gov through third party social networking and other websites. CNN: Can you give us a quick refresher what protective measures are effective against this very contagious BA.2 variant? COVID-19 cases have been declining across the country. The same tried-and-true measures that have been encouraged since 2020washing your hands often, wearing a high-quality mask, testing regularly, and staying up to date with boostersstill work to curb the spread of COVID-19. She is also author of Lifelines: A Doctors Journey in the Fight for Public Health.. Depending on the outdoor situation youre in, it changes the ventilation dynamics of that area and can alter the risk of COVID for people in that [space], Roberts said, adding that hed feel pretty comfortable in a socially distant, outdoor setting with nothing covering the space (like tents, tarps, overhangs, and enclosures) even with the BA.5 variant. A majority of index patients were White (59.0%, 108 of 183), and 21.3% (39 of 183) were Hispanic/Latino. Some will think those activities are worth the risk. On several types of paper, infectious amounts of ancestral SARS-CoV-2 were only recoverable for five to 15 minutes compared to more than 30 minutes for Omicron. Lynn E. Sosa reports being a past Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists STD Subcommittee chair. BOSTON -- As Omicron cases are sweeping the nation, some experts are warning that being outdoors may not provide as much protection as before. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Again, Id urge that if you are wearing a mask, wear an N95 or equivalent mask, because it will be your best chance of protecting against the very contagious BA.2 variant. Despite Omicron's rapid spread, the good news is that COVID-19 strategies like vaccination, masking, and social distancing could slow its transmission. Dies geschieht in Ihren Datenschutzeinstellungen. New research is pointing to the answer, 2 years into the pandemic, burning questions remain about COVID-19 and how we fight it, scientific consensus began to crystallize, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. While outdoor transmission of COVID-19 in low-risk settings is "generally uncommon," Dr. Adalja says that it's . What This Means For You. Wen: You need to decide whats best for you, with the understanding that one-way masking with an N95 or equivalent works very well that is, even if others around you arent masking, you are still well-protected if you wear a well-fitting, high-quality mask at all times. Here's what you need to know. After conducting lab-based research, the team found Omicron "is more stable than the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 on different surfaces.". Thanks to a unique cluster of mutations on the spike protein, the part of the virus that latches to our cells, BA.5 is believed to be the most contagious strain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, so far. Masks are still effective at protecting you against COVID-19 even if you're the only person wearing one. On the higher end of the spectrum, mumps has an R0 of 12; measles tops the list at 18. Two jurisdictions attempted to contact all households on their line lists, and two jurisdictions attempted to contact households on their line lists based on specimen collection date. Overall, spending time outside is "a safer mechanism of prevention against COVID" because of the unlimited ventilation. Without sequencing results for all household contact cases, it was not possible to confirm that transmission occurred from index patients to household contacts or that household contacts were infected with the same variant. CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website. A sharp spike in coronavirus cases, in part fueled by the new Omicron variant, is prompting health experts to urge that New Year's Eve gatherings be toned down. So called stealth Omicron, nicknamed for its ability to evade detection on PCR tests, was about 1.4 times more transmissible than BA.1, so its reproductive rate was around 13.3, Adrian Esterman, a professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of South Australia, recently wrote on academic news website The Conversation. Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. But as we head into offices, schools and public spaces, there are some things we can control like masking and others that are not in our control, such as whether our offices have improved ventilation. / CBS Boston. Multicomponent COVID-19 prevention strategies, including up-to-date vaccination, isolation of infected persons, and mask use at home, are critical to reducing Omicron transmission in household settings. BA.5the omicron subvariant that emerged in South Africa in February before sweeping across the worldis now the dominant coronavirus variant in the United States. CDC twenty four seven. For those hosting events, Majumder recommended decreasing the amount of attendees at gatherings, a move that can drastically reduce transmission. See the Interactive Home Ventilation Tool. This German snowman wears a protective mask over its banana nose and mouth, but experts say the risk of catching COVID outdoors is slim. S&P Index data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. 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. She has written about COVID-19 for many publications, including The New York Times, Kaiser Health News, Medscape and The Washington Post. Masks, vaccination, social distancing, testing and hand washing all play a role, too. So attending a tightly packed outdoor concert and sharing your drink with a friend tends to lend itself to a higher transmission risk than, say, a park picnic in an open space with a couple of friends who arent sitting close to you. You should wear a mask if its impossible to create distance (ideally a well-fitted one, like a KN95) and take a COVID test before you go out, Patel said. 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. Trends in disease severity and health care utilization during the early Omicron variant period compared with previous SARS-CoV-2 high transmission periodsUnited States, December 2020January 2022. Upgrading one's mask is especially important in the face of omicron. Masks work very well, though here I would urge that people wear an N95 or equivalent mask, such as a KN95 or KF94. "But for something that's very efficient at spreading like BA.5 is, it won't be as protective.". That being said, not all outdoor spaces are created equal. A total of 3,558 persons were considered potentially eligible for participation in the investigation, among whom jurisdictions attempted to contact 1,461 (41.1%). That, combined with the sheer volume of cases, could mean that there could be more cases of outdoor transmission, says Dr. Jill. 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