THE ESSENTIAL
- In total, 11.8% of people living under the same roof as an infected person contracted Covid-19 compared to 1.9% of people in contact outside the home.
- The most affected are 10-19 year olds, who represent 18.6% of home contamination against 5.3% for 0-9 year olds.
- The researchers note that wearing the mask at home should be studied, especially if there are people at risk.
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In the epidemic crisis that we are going through, the risk of infection with Covid-19 is everywhere. This risk is even greater in our loved ones reveals a South Korean study published on July 16 in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. Led by around thirty researchers, it concludes that the risk of contamination from someone close to us is five times greater than from someone outside.
School closures, an essential decision
Scientists studied the profiles of 5,706 patients infected with Covid-19 and followed the chains of contamination of people who had contact with them, for a total of 59,073 people, between January 20 and March 27. Among them, 10,592 are relatives living in the same household as the infected and 48,481 are people crossed outside the home. The contamination differential between these two groups is significant with five times more infected relatives than outsiders. A total of 11.8% of people living under the same roof contracted the virus, while 1.9% of people passed outside became infected with the virus.
In detail of people infected at home, we see that the most affected are 10-19 years. This age group represents 18.6% of contaminations, against 5.3% for 0-9 year olds, the group with the lowest contamination rate. These results confirm the measures to close schools. “Children who attend day care or preschool are at high risk of passing respiratory viruses to family members, detail the researchers. The low detection rate of household contacts of preschool children in South Korea may be due to social distancing during these times. Yet a recent report from Shenzhen, China showed that the proportion of infected children increased during the outbreak from 2% to 13%, suggesting the importance of school closures.. ” The majority of patients infected by someone outside their home are over 40 years of age.
The mask at home, an option to study
The researchers add that in the context of the reopening of schools and the relaxation of social distancing, the role of home transmission of SARS-CoV-2 must be taken very seriously. “Contact tracing is especially important in light of the coming epidemic waves, for which social distancing and personal hygiene will remain the most viable prevention options, note the researchers at the conclusion of the study. Understanding the role of hygiene and infection control measures in reducing the spread in homes, and the role of the mask inside the home is essential, especially if family members are at high risk. , must be studied.”
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