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. 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. Dr. Rohde says nothing has fundamentally changed after omicron, except for peoples general attitudes about the pandemic. Emanuel Goldman, a microbiology professor at the New Jersey Medical School of Rutgers University, said in an article published in The Lancet journal in 2020 that the risk of COVID-19 infection from surfaces at that time was "exaggerated.". MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021;70:17314. 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. Thats another key preventive measure that we now have access to. See the Interactive Home Ventilation Tool. 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. The Omicron variant of the coronavirus appears to have spread between two fully vaccinated people who were staying in separate rooms across the hall from each other in a Hong Kong quarantine. 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. ** An index patient with a confirmed COVID-19 case was the first person with a positive SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid amplification test result or antigen test result (through local or home testing) reported in a household. 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. Sunlight and humidity, for instance, can both contribute to how long viruses are able to survive on surfaces outdoors, he noted. Health's content is for informational and educational purposes only. Professor Semple said COVID-19 does not spread outside (Image: Sky News) 7,000 ventilation units have been sent out to schools across the country to tackle Omicron (Image: Getty Images) He noted . Experts explain the barriers around getting itand when access might be expanded. 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. Researchers have said that while Covid infections can happen outdoors, the chances are massively reduced. FDA Grants Emergency Use Authorization for Novavax's COVID-19 Vaccine. 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. Millions of people in China have been forced into lockdown, ordered to stay home to protect themselves from the countrys biggest COVID-19 outbreak in two years. The New York Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), which oversees subways and buses and lost billions of dollars in passenger revenue in 2020, spent $484 million last year in its response to. But the likelihood of transmission grew by 6% for every five weeks . In fact, it "could likely be more risky than an indoor setting under different circumstances with proper social distancing and other preventive measures," he added. Emerg Infect Dis 2022;28:7569. The outdoors have always been a sanctuaryeven more so since the advent of the pandemic. Having a prior infection with another Omicron subvariant does provide some immunity against BA.4 and BA.5 but it's not absolute. The key is really just ensuring that theres adequate distancing, particularly if youre in a situation where someone sneezes or coughs within a few feet of you, Roberts emphasized. 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. 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%). Lopez AS, Hill M, Antezano J, et al. Omicron sublineages are still increasing and cause increased transmission and infect Wear a mask outdoors if you're going to be in close proximity to others. See the Interactive Home Ventilation Tool. Comments are welcome while open. What if you have to go back to the office, and others arent masking? The small sample size, especially for certain stratum-specific ARs, may limit overall generalizability of the results. Someone who coughed onto their hand and then touched a door could seed virus there and transmit it to you if you touch that door and then your nose or mouth. Data were collected and managed using REDCap (version 11.1.8; Vanderbilt University) and analyzed using R (version 4.0.3; R Foundation). If You Are Sick When to wear a mask Wear a mask with the best fit, protection, and comfort for you. "That gentle breeze outdoors is generally safer" than indoors, he says. It's nice to see people's expressions and feel a sense of normalcy.". "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. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. it all depends on the context, the space and the type of activity. There isnt a tried-and-true rule. If you need to go back and make any changes, you can always do so by going to our Privacy Policy page. The emergence of BA.5 and other highly contagious omicron subvariants is definitely concerning, experts said. 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. It also depends on the specifics of your workplace. (The other layers are vaccination, masks and physical distancing.). 1. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School. Right now were waiting on additional data to confirm that COVID transmission is occurring outdoors.. Sect. Outdoor settings were generally considered "safe" during the COVID-19 pandemic. CNN: Can you give us a quick refresher what protective measures are effective against this very contagious BA.2 variant? An index patient with a probable COVID-19 case was the first person with onset of any symptom consistent with COVID-19, but without a positive SARS-CoV-2 test confirmation, reported in a household. 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. Roberts stressed that COVID spread outdoors is much less common than spread indoors, but nothing is perfect. Cookies used to make website functionality more relevant to you. That said, even with these new subvariants, getting vaccinated and boosted will protect you against severe illness and death. In other words, 10 people crowded at an al fresco table doesnt equal safety just because there are only a handful of people around. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:131923. For example, if you work in an office that has pretty good ventilation and is well-spaced, and requires proof of vaccination, you may consider not masking in that setting. part 46.102(l)(2), 21 C.F.R. The ARs among household contacts by index patient vaccination status were lowest among those who received a booster dose (42.7%, 47 of 110) and those who were fully vaccinated <5 months before the index date (43.6%, 17 of 39). part 56; 42 U.S.C. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. "Most people that get it outdoors are still getting into groups with friends, neighbors and family when outdoors and that is a good way to spread infection when it is present," he said. Dies geschieht in Ihren Datenschutzeinstellungen. Dr. Gerald Evans, chair of the division of infectious diseases at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., agreed that alongside other personal protections like mask-wearing and vaccinations, basic hand hygiene remains a smart way to ward off this virus. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.27.21268278v1, https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.09.22268984v1, https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.16.21262121v2. More information is available, Travel requirements to enter the United States are changing, starting November 8, 2021. 2023 Cable News Network. People walk through the Whitney Biennial show at the Whitney Museum of Art on April 06, 2022 in New York City. 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. 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). (Of course, football games have been postponed this season because of COVID outbreaks, but the study's authors believe that players were more likely spreading it in locker rooms and other shared indoor spaces.). But there is increased risk as we continue to deal with a more transmissible virus strain. FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. of pages found at these sites. Based on the data from the Gauteng province alone, the Omicron variant transmissibility compared to SARS-CoV-2 ancestral and Delta variant were 100.3% and 36.5%, respectively. This, to me, is no different from a decision to go back to the gym, resume travel or dine indoors in restaurants. 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. In order to outcompete, successful COVID variants have become more transmissible with time. "So the safest place you can be [with other people] is still going to be outdoors," she says. The following conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity. We are in the midst of another COVID-19 wave driven by the highly contagious BA.4 and BA.5 variants, which have a mutation in the spike protein of the coronavirus that causes these variants to more easily attach to (and infect) people. These cookies may also be used for advertising purposes by these third parties. Risk is also lower if the mask or respirator is a type that offers greater protection. 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. 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. If your own risk tolerance is low, certain outdoor situations could call for masking up. When do infected people transmit the virus? 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. 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. This was true for the other variants too, Linsey Marr, PhD, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech who studies viral transmission, tells SELF. Thus, whether someone was tested and how many times they were tested depended on individual and social factors. Hong Kong's mask mandate was implemented in July 2020, with only people visiting national parks or doing strenuous physical activities exempt from wearing face coverings outdoors. To help us with these questions, I spoke with CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. Your Next COVID Vaccination Could Be a Nasal Spray: Here's Why, What You Should Know About BA.2, a SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant. The short answer here is yes, you can get infected with the BA.5 subvariant, even in outdoor settings. For both index patients and household contacts, the onset date was either the date of SARS-CoV-2 positive test result or date of symptom onset, whichever occurred first. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. But he warned the public not to panic, and avoid resorting to heavy-handed precautions. CDC COVID-19 Response Team. See an archive of our FAQs here. Studies conducted prior to omicron show that being outside greatly reduces your risk of infection with the coronavirus. * The interval was estimated by calculating the number of days between the symptom onset or positive test result date for the index patient and that of the household contact. And yes, that holds true for omicron, he believes. Being around people who are symptomatic increases the risk of transmission. 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. On smooth surfaces, Omicron lasted more than a week, while infectious amounts of the original virus were recovered up to just four days on polypropylene plastic and stainless and up to seven days on glass. Heres how that might affect crucial funding, access to tests, and case counts. When possible, SARS-CoV-2 testing data were supplemented with or verified using state or jurisdiction registry data. 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). Sect. 1CDC COVID-19 Emergency Response Team; 2Epidemic Intelligence Service, CDC; 3Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, Tennessee; 4Chicago Department of Public Health; 5Connecticut Department of Public Health; 6Milwaukee Health Department; 7Utah Department of Health; 8CDC Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia. But as the months passed, scientific consensus began to crystallize, suggesting some of those precautions might be missing the bigger picture of how the SARS-CoV-2 virus transmits. Subanalyses focusing on secondary household transmission demonstrated a similar interval (median=3 days, IQR=25) (Supplementary Figure 1, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/114723) and similar patterns in ARs (Supplementary Figure 2, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/114722). "If you wash your hands not obsessively, but just thoughtfully and carefully that's going to reduce any transmission you see out there," Evans said. the date of publication. 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. According to Drs. What is the difference between people who are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic? How can I reduce my risk of getting COVID-19? Experts say consider a mask outdoors if the space is crowded. 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. And people who are vaccinated likely carry less infectious virus particles than people who are not. 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. Serial intervals and household transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, South Korea, 2021. MedRxiv: "Transmission event of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant reveals multiple vaccine breakthrough infections." While its less dangerous than being indoors when someone sneezes, theres still a risk of infection from a very contagious strain like BA.5. Welcome toFortune Well, a new destination that will curate the essential stories working professionals need to thrive in their careers and personal lives. A SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariant, BA.2, became the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States. Some people washed their mail or wore gloves to the grocery store, while policymakers cordoned off playgrounds and encouraged businesses to scrub every surface. "I think we shouldn't drop our guard against SARS-CoV-2, period.". Research suggests that outdoor transmission, when it does occur, typically results from prolonged close contact. URL addresses listed in MMWR were current as of These cookies may also be used for advertising purposes by these third parties. Third, how important is it to you to continue to avoid Covid-19? You could decide to go to an outdoor lunch with your colleagues, but skip the happy hour in a packed bar. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website. The more crowded an outdoors space is, the more it begins to mimic an indoor space in terms of our exposure to shared air.. Iuliano AD, Brunkard JM, Boehmer TK, et al. One review of studies concluded that the odds of indoor transmission is almost 19 times higher than outdoor transmission. Should indoor mask mandates come back? It's also important to say that outdoor gatherings were never completely risk-freethey were just less risky. 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. It appears to be even more contagious than Omicron. Yet Omicron, the highly contagious variant known for slipping around some of our best defences, might be surviving longer on everyday objects than its early predecessor raising questions about which basic precautions to prevent surface-based transmission might still be warranted. 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). *** Seven days was chosen for this analysis, because 75% of cases occurred 7 days after the index date. These cookies perform functions like remembering presentation options or choices and, in some cases, delivery of web content that based on self-identified area of interests. Of course, omicron is the most transmissible variant yet. CNN: Does it make sense to mask in some situations but not others? You'll also want to consider your own personal risk for COVID-19, that of those close to you, and your combined risk tolerance for public situations. Data from South Africa found that two doses of the vaccine provided up to 87% of protection against hospitalization with BA.5, as Bloomberg reported. Moreover, the . If your community is in an orange, or high risk, area by the CDCs metrics, you should mask indoors. hide caption. For purposes of entry into the United States, vaccines accepted will include FDA approved or authorized and WHO Emergency Use Listing vaccines. Of course, omicron is the most transmissible variant yet. More at sheilaeldred.pressfolios.com. 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. Of those with known SARS-CoV-2 infection history, eleven (6.1%) of 181 index patients and nine (4.7%) of 192 household contacts with confirmed or probable COVID-19 reported a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. Longer exposure timeincreasesthe risk of transmission (for example, contact longer than 15 minutes is more likely to result in transmission than two minutes of contact). When Should You Test (and Possibly Retest) After Being Exposed to COVID-19? In just over five months, there were 22,334 confirmed SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infections, 31 hospitalizations and no COVID-19 deaths. 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. But others, such as the genetic changes in the delta variant, can make the coronavirus . Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted. Experts warn omicron variants can spread more easily outdoors; prior infections provide less immunit. That being said, not all outdoor spaces are created equal. COVID Vaccine Needle Size MattersSo Why Arent We Hearing More About It. 2023 Cond Nast. Because SARS-CoV-2 testing was not available for all household contacts, ability to detect asymptomatic infections was limited. Suggested citation for this article: Baker JM, Nakayama JY, OHegarty M, et al. "We've been so focused on airborne transmission and masks that, maybe, we've kind of neglected to wash our hands," Marr said. BOSTON -- As Omicron cases are sweeping the nation, some experts are warning that being outdoors may not provide as much protection as before. All Rights Reserved. She also suggested making sure guests are vaccinated, have recently tested negative, and are symptom-free. Users are referred to the electronic PDF version (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr) All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. Since COVID-19 is transmitted through contact with respiratory fluids carrying the infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus, a person can be exposed by an infected person coughing or speaking near them. Surfaces play less of a role than aerosol transmission, but its still good practice to wash your hands well or to use hand sanitizer if you shake peoples hands and touch frequently used surfaces. A used mask is seen on beach at marine protected area located in St. Martin's Island, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh on March 13. To investigate the effectiveness of prevention strategies in household settings, CDC partnered with four U.S. jurisdictions to describe Omicron household transmission during November 2021February 2022. In that case, they should definitely feel free to wear a mask when in outdoor and more crowded settings. Part of HuffPost Wellness. We also have more tools at our disposal than we did in 2020. Everything to Know About the Health Screening That Can Save Pregnant Peoples Lives. But you might still decide to mask in crowded, indoor places like grocery stores and train stations. Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern. There are several ways this can happen: Droplets or aerosols. September 7, 2022. Earlier this week the CDC updated its recommendations to encourage a second COVID-19 booster shot for certain immunocompromised individuals and people over the age of 50 who received an initial booster dose at least 4 months ago. The protective measures we talked about early in the pandemic still work against Omicron. Contact her at: lauren.pelley@cbc.ca. The omicron sub-lineages are so new that infectious disease experts are still measuring their potential impact, even in outdoor settings. BA.5's mutations have also allowed it to sneak past the body's immune system more easily. You could decide to remove your mask when sitting at your desk, but put it on again to go into a crowded elevator or a conference room where youre sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with other people. The symptoms arent always as similar as you might think. 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." CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website. appreciated. You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link. We conducted a test-negative case-control study and recruited the test-positive cases and test-negative controls in the outbreak caused by . Omicron started off as three subvariants (that is, a group of viruses from the same parent virus) all appearing in late November 2021 in South Africa: BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3. The volume of droplets used in the lab research five microlitres might sound small, but it's "actually huge compared to droplets we usually spew out," she said. provided as a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply In other words, 10 people crowded at an al fresco table doesnt equal safety just because there are only a handful of people around. Why Are There So Many Omicron SubvariantsAnd What Can They Tell Us About the Future of the Pandemic? Greater COVID transmissibility due to Omicron variants means greater transmissibility in any setting, indoors or outdoorseven if outside is still safer, experts say. Health talked to Dr. J. Wes Ulm, MD, Ph.D. a physician-researcher and part of the Heroes of the COVID Crisis series, and Robert G. Lahita MD, Ph.D. ("Dr. Bob"), Director of the . Persons with sequence-confirmed Omicron infection and their household contacts were interviewed. Learning about how COVID-19 spreads and the factors that can increase or decrease that risk can help you make informed choices. Masks work very well, though here I would urge that people wear an N95 or equivalent mask, such as a KN95 or KF94. **** Case status of household contacts was unknown if the occurrence of COVID-19compatible symptoms was not known and if the contacts testing results were unknown. We have two little kids who are too young to be vaccinated, but we also recognize that its going to be very difficult to keep them from getting the coronavirus given how transmissible this new variant is. Could call for masking up Health 's content is for informational and purposes!, starting November 8, 2021 low, certain outdoor situations could for! We should n't drop our guard against SARS-CoV-2, period. `` case counts can they Tell us about Health! Variant yet should definitely feel free to wear a mask outdoors if the space is crowded,! Include fda approved or authorized and who Emergency Use Listing vaccines working professionals need thrive! On other federal or private website to panic, and avoid resorting to heavy-handed precautions BA.5. And make any changes, you can be [ with other people ] is still going to even... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) can not attest to the destination website Privacy. 508 compliance ( accessibility ) on other federal or private website and physical distancing. ) but you might.! And clarity always been a sanctuaryeven more so since the advent of pandemic... Than people who are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic a non-federal website suggested making sure guests are likely. The BA.5 subvariant, BA.2, became the dominant strain of COVID-19 in outbreak..., protection, and others arent masking but skip the happy hour in a packed bar go and... 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