Only 1 case of Covid in 1,000 detected outdoors, study finds

According to contract tracing data in Ireland, only one in every thousand coronavirus infections occurs outdoors.

Data from the Health Protection Surveillance Center (HPSC), which monitors infections in the Republic of Ireland, revealed that of the 232,164 cases of Covid-19 recorded up to March 24 this year, 262 were as a result of an external transmission.

The number of infections that occurred outdoors represented only 0.1 percent of the total.

According to data published by the Irish Times, there have been 42 coronavirus outbreaks associated with outdoor gatherings, with one community outbreak accounting for seven infections.

The HSPC said it could not “determine where transmission occurred” and explained that the data is based on locations primarily associated with outdoor activities, such as outdoor sports and construction sites. construction.

Professor Orla Hegarty, of the School of Architecture at University College Dublin, said the risk of transmitting the virus outdoors is low if people socially distance and “avoid close conversations”.

She told the Irish Times: “During the Spanish flu, people were advised to talk side by side rather than face to face, and this is borne out by the way virus particles moving through the air when people breathe and speak were measured.

“The risk of infection is low outdoors, because unless you are in close proximity to an infected person, most of the virus will likely be carried away and diluted in the breeze, like cigarette smoke.”

It comes as a study found the prevalence of coronavirus cases in England fell by around 60% from February to March.

Watch: How would a traffic light system work for foreign travel?

Experts found that the infection rate fell across all age groups and regions over the two months, with the figures also indicating that the vaccine rollout could “break the link” between infections, deaths and hospitalizations.

According to the latest round of Real-Time Assessment of Community Transmission (React-1) studies, on average, one in 500 people still carried the virus in March.

Researchers found there had been “sharp falls” in the prevalence of the virus in the South East and London from February to March, but there remained “persistent areas of higher prevalence” of the virus in the South Yorkshire and parts of the East. Midlands and North West.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock welcomed the study’s findings and urged people to continue to exercise caution by “practicing with hands, face, space and meeting indoors.” ‘outside’.

“These results are promising and illustrate the significant impact that the lockdown, combined with our phenomenal vaccination programme, is having on the prevalence of this terrible virus,” Mr Hancock said.

“We are meeting our four criteria for easing the lockdown and there are many reasons to be optimistic about the future, but we cannot let this come at the expense of vigilance today. »

Watch: Do coronavirus vaccines affect fertility?

Learn more

Kate Garraway’s husband ‘at home after a year in hospital with coronavirus’

UK records 53 more deaths from Covid-19 as cases fall to lowest since July

Indian icon Tendulkar leaves hospital after treatment for Covid-19

Regular rapid testing is a vital weapon in the fight against Covid-19