Transmission of the new coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 occurs mainly from contact with infected people, inhalation of saliva droplets and respiratory secretions in the air when the person with COVID-19 coughs or sneezes, for example. .
Therefore, it is important that preventive measures are taken, such as washing your hands with soap and water, avoiding staying at home with many people and covering your mouth and nose whenever you need to sneeze or cough.
- Coronavirus is a family of viruses that cause respiratory disturbances.
- Which often cause fever.
- Severe cough and breathing difficulties.
- Learn more about coronaviruses and symptoms of COVID-19 infection.
The main forms of transmission of the new coronavirus appear to be
The most common form of transmission of the new coronavirus is inhalation or contact of saliva droplets or respiratory secretions, which are present in the air for a few seconds or minutes after an infected person coughs or sneezes.
This form of transmission justifies the large number of people infected with the virus and has therefore been declared by the World Health Organization as the main form of transmission, with the necessary measures to avoid contact with saliva droplets and respiratory secretions, such as not entering the interior with many people and always covering their mouth and nose when needed to cough or sneeze.
According to a survey by Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases [3], there is a 19 times greater risk of contracting the virus indoors than outdoors, precisely because there is closer contact between people and for longer.
Contact with contaminated surfaces also appears to be an important form of contagion, as research in the United States [2] suggests that the new coronavirus may remain infectious for up to three days on some surfaces:
When you put your hands on these surfaces and rub your face, scratch your eyes or clean your mouth, for example, you may be infected with the virus, which can enter the body through the mucous membranes of your mouth, eyes and mouth. Nose.
For this reason, WHO recommends washing your hands frequently, especially after being in public places or at increased risk of contamination with coughing droplets or sneezing by others. In addition, it is also important to disinfect surfaces regularly. Learn more about cleaning surfaces at home and at work to protect yourself from COVID-19.
This appears to be the first registered form of contagion of the new coronavirus, which came from the contact and consumption of infected wild animals in a market in China. Thus, the contact or consumption of sick animals, especially wild animals, such as snakes and bats, is completely proven.
A February 2020 study in China [1] also suggested that transmission of the new coronavirus could occur fecal-oral, mainly in children, as 8 of the 10 children included in the study had a positive result for coronavirus in the rectum and negative swab in the nasal swab, indicating that the virus could remain in the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, a more recent study in May 2020 [4] also showed that it was possible to isolate the virus in the faeces of 12 of the 28 adults studied and diagnosed with COVID-19.
Spanish researchers also checked for the presence of the new coronavirus in wastewater [5] and found that SARS-CoV2 was present even before the first cases were confirmed, indicating that the virus was already circulating in the population. Another study conducted in the Netherlands [6] aimed to identify particles of the virus in wastewater and found that some of the structures of this virus were present, which may indicate that the virus can be removed in the faeces.
Despite these findings, fecal-oral transmission is not yet proven, but wastewater monitoring can be seen as a strategy to monitor viral spread.
To better understand how transmission occurs and how to protect yourself from COVID-19:
To prevent COVID-19 infection, it is recommended to adopt a set of protective measures including:
In addition, to prevent transmission, the World Health Organization is developing and implementing surveillance measures to monitor suspicious and infectious coronavirus infections to understand the virulence of the virus and the transmission mechanism. Discover other ways to avoid getting coronavirus.
Learn more about this virus in the following video: