Household contacts were defined as any persons who spent one or more overnights in the residence with the index patient during their potentially infectious period. appreciated. 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). The outdoors have always been a sanctuaryeven more so since the advent of the pandemic. However, early evidence suggests that the vast majority of people with some immunity, either from prior COVID infection or vaccination, will continue to be protected from severe illness, according to preliminary research. Experts are still learning about COVID-19. How does COVID-19 spread between people? Emerg Infect Dis 2022;28:7569. 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. Her 2020 investigation into COVID-19 infections among health-care workers won best in-depth series at the RNAO Media Awards. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the subvariant is causing approximately 65% of the countrys COVID-19 cases at the time of publication. Outdoors Lower Risk Well-ventilated indoors Moderate Risk Poorly ventilated indoors Higher Risk 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. We take your privacy seriously. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The findings from this investigation reinforce the importance of multi-component prevention strategies, including up-to-date vaccination, isolation of infected persons, and mask use at home, to reduce Omicron transmission in household settings. Thus, the latest dominant COVID subvariants have a reproductive rate of around 18.6, tying or surpassing measles, the worlds most infectious viral disease, according to Esterman. 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. Greater COVID transmissibility due to Omicron variants means greater transmissibility in any setting, indoors or outdoorseven if outside is still safer, experts say. Events, dining, and even entire classrooms were moved outside, when feasible. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images), A young woman and man stand next to each other. Outdoor social gatherings are very safe, and certainly lower risk than the equivalent setting indoors. 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. That being said, not all outdoor spaces are created equal. 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. Jurisdictions identified persons who were considered potentially eligible for participation through obtaining laboratory line lists of persons who had sequence-confirmed Omicron (B.1.1.529 lineage and its sublineages) or whose sequencing results were pending. That, combined with the sheer volume of cases, could mean that there could be more cases of outdoor transmission, says Dr. Jill. Were hearing anecdotal reports of people testing positive who think they got it outdoors, said Dr. Scott Roberts, associate medical director of Infection Prevention at Yale New Haven Hospital. Early contact tracing studies detected far more indoor transmission of the coronavirus than outdoor. Powered and implemented by Interactive Data Managed Solutions. Among the 204 excluded households, 143 did not meet eligibility criteria, 47 were excluded because the index patient could not be identified, 11 were excluded because household contacts had confirmed or probable cases and were known to have a SARS-CoV-2 exposure other than exposure to the index patient, and three were excluded when sequencing results (pending at the time of interview) indicated a variant that was not Omicron. "The risk of transmission is much lower . Given how quickly information about omicron is changing, we decided to reach out to Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, a professor at the UCSF School of Medicine, to . 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. Part of HuffPost Wellness. What . "Our findings imply that (Omicron) has an increased likelihood to be transmitted by the fomite route," the researchers concluded. Thank you for taking the time to confirm your preferences. A SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariant, BA.2, became the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States. CDC has updated select ways to operate healthcare systems effectively in response to COVID-19 vaccination. 3501 et seq. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that you get tested 5-7 days after "close contact with a person with suspected or confirmed COVID-19." The CDC defines close contact as being less than 6 feet away from an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period. So if you find yourself worrying about not being able to distance yourself in a crowded outdoor situation with people of unknown vaccination status, slip a mask on. For purposes of entry into the United States, vaccines accepted will include FDA approved or authorized and WHO Emergency Use Listing vaccines. Should You Be Worried About Outdoor Transmission During the BA.5 Surge? We conducted a test-negative case-control study and recruited the test-positive cases and test-negative controls in the outbreak caused by . On Twitter: @milepostmedia. Age at index date was determined from date of birth or self-reported age. But if it's a casual interaction outside, even if it's relatively crowded, I'm comfortable not having a mask on. Omicron BA.5 May Increase the Risk of Outdoor TransmissionHere's How to Stay Safe Although being outdoors is overall the safer option, when a virus is more contagious, it's more contagious. It is a lot more contagious, so you could be in an outdoor setting and if you are close to someone who isn t wearing a mask and you re not wearing a mask, you . The study authors themselves did note the limitations at play, including the controlled, lab-based setting and differences in the droplets used in the research compared to respiratory droplets, which may all impact the stability of the virus. CNN: What about outdoors? 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. If you are sick and need to be around others, or are caring for someone who has COVID-19, wear a mask. Outdoor settings were generally considered "safe" during the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. Sect. Here, experts discuss just how contagious BA.5 isand how you can go the extra step to protect yourself, even during outdoor activities this summer. Some will think those activities are worth the risk. But Omicron was a game changer, in more ways than one. This German snowman wears a protective mask over its banana nose and mouth, but experts say the risk of catching COVID outdoors is slim. "If you're standing outside, shoulder-to-shoulder with hundreds of unmasked strangers [for an extended period of time], it certainly has the potential to mimic a cramped, indoor setting," said Dr. Weissenbach. 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.. We know that this is not in any shape, manner, or form a major transmission route for this virus. 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. While outdoor events are safer than indoor events, theyre not 100% safe, Majumder told the news outlet. What Do Epidemiologists Think? The median interval between index patient onset date and household contact onset date was 4 days (IQR=27 days) (Figure 1). 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. "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.". Some persons who were fully vaccinated had unknown dates for completion of their primary vaccination series. Vaccinated residents with breakthrough infections were significantly less likely to transmit them: 28% versus 36% for those who were unvaccinated. 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. Then came Omicron, with an reproductive rate almost twice as large: 9.5. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. Ventilation is very important. Patel said that it all depends on the context, the space and the type of activity. There isnt a tried-and-true rule. If your community is in an orange, or high risk, area by the CDCs metrics, you should mask indoors. Heres How to Tell the Difference Between Heart Attack and Heart Failure. Preliminary research, including a small study by Milton's lab, suggests that people infected with omicron don't breathe out higher viral loads than people infected with delta. Sheila Mulrooney Eldred is a freelance health journalist in Minneapolis. provided as a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply ** Persons provided retrospective information about any SARS-CoV-2 testing that they chose and were able to perform. How can I reduce my risk of getting COVID-19? 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. 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). And at this stage of the pandemic, we have to find ways to do things that are meaningful to us. "But for something that's very efficient at spreading like BA.5 is, it won't be as protective.". MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:131923. 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. 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. 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. Sunlight and humidity, for instance, can both contribute to how long viruses are able to survive on surfaces outdoors, he noted. Study participants who contributed their time and information; Olivia Almendares, Sarah E. Smith-Jeffcoat, Emeka Oraka, CDC; Charles Powell, Avery Gartman, Connecticut Department of Public Health; Ashley Becht, Hallie Hutchison, Eugene Olshansky, Rachel Berg, Adrianna Koczwara, Lisa Addis, Michael Deneufbourg, Sarah Love, Isaac Ghinai, Peter Ruestow, Shamika Smith, Daniel Liguori, Frances Lendacki, Janna Kerins, Stephanie Black, Chicago Department of Public Health; Stefan Green, Hannah Barbian, Sofiya Bobrovska, Regional Innovative Public Health Laboratory, Chicago Department of Public Health and Rush University; Barbara Cuene, Stephen Fendt, Jennifer Lares, Carri Marlow, Nandhu Balakrishnan, Katherine Akinyemi, Addie Skillman, Milwaukee Health Department; Leisha Nolen, Alexis Molina, Shai Miguel, Alix Elliston, April Jorgensen, Austin Newbold, Garnet Kwader, Sam Andersen, Utah Department of Health. But are new subvariants changing that? 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