A new analysis that looked at 54 studies in over 20 countries found homes where someone was sick with Covid-19 continued to be hotspots for virus transmission, even if overall community spread was down.
“This is yet another study that reminds us of how contagious the virus that causes Covid-19 is, and how hard it is to keep from infecting others if one lives in crowded, multigenerational housing,” said CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting professor at George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, who was not involved in the study.
Risk was higher if the family member showed symptoms of Covid-19 — such as cough, sneezing, body aches, chills and fever — than if the person showed few or no signs of the virus, the study found. Risk was also higher between adults than between adults and children.
Quickly moving infection
Fewer than half of infected household members had symptoms at the time infection was first detected.
“Many reported no symptoms throughout 7 days of follow-up, underscoring the potential for transmission from asymptomatic secondary contacts and the importance of quarantine,” the CDC team reported.
Isolate yourself or your loved one
Staying isolated from other household members is challenging, especially if you are in a small space or there are children in the home.
“If it’s a child that you have to care for, then you may have to make the decision to isolate one adult with the child,” she added. “That adult would be caring for the child and the other adult would be responsible for the rest of the family.”
“Know who your neighbors are, even what your neighborhood social network might be,” said Radesky, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan. “You may not be that close interpersonally, but someone may be willing to do a grocery store drop-off or pick-up medications, because we’re all in this together.”
The rest of the family should practice isolation as well, Radesky added.
“Unfortunately you need to keep…
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