"Where did I catch Corona?" ... A British report reveals unexpected places for infection with the virus

"Where did I catch Corona from?"

A question that a person asks as soon as he learns of his infection with the Coronavirus, which struck the world at the end of 2019, and is still reaping many infections.

In a recent report published by the British newspaper "Daily Mail", the first question a person raises after testing positive for "Covid-19" is "Where did you catch the virus?"

The report indicated that the answer to this question is not easy, as the Public Health Authority in Britain stated in its comment on the matter: “It is very difficult to know where people are infected with“ Covid-19 ”, so when a person has tested positive in England, an application asks him. Test and traceability »on the places the injured went through during the week before the injury, and after monitoring a set of answers, the results came about the places that caused the most injury.

And the latest report of the British Public Health Authority showed within a week until February 11, that 53% of people infected with Coronavirus caught the infection during their visit to the supermarket, whether for work or shopping.

It is now well known that bars, restaurants and gyms - where strict social distancing does not always work in these cramped interiors - are ideal environments for the virus to spread between people.

Public Health England admits that "it is very difficult to know where people are catching COVID-19."

The places in which the infection occurs are at the top of the current existing care homes and workplaces - the British Public Health Authority has confirmed that these workplaces may include supermarkets, but the number or percentage has not been announced.

Royal Leicester Hospital virologist, Dr. Julian Tang, believes supermarkets are an unmistakable place to catch an infection.

"It is a hotbed of community and people from all over the city, who visit this place very regularly," said Dr. Tang.

"Social distancing can be difficult in supermarkets, and many of them have poor ventilation systems, which means that the virus can remain stuck in the air," he says.

He is believed to have caught COVID-19 last May in a supermarket.

"My wife and I haven't gone anywhere in months to go out with people," he says.

And after a trip to the supermarket, I fell ill and was later confirmed infected, and it seems that standing next to someone when going out, even if he is far from you and puts on his mask, can be dangerous as the virus can pass through the sides of the mask.

He also says, “Workers at supermarket exits may also pose a risk because they are in contact with many people throughout their work time.

And those screens in front of them do not provide them with much protection. ”

Undoubtedly, there are cases in which members of the public catch "Covid" from a person working in a supermarket.

But it is the employees who are most at risk, not the shoppers.

And recent research indicates that supermarket employees who have contact with customers are five times more likely to contract the virus than their back-office colleagues.

In an American study, published in October in the British Medical Journal, experts found that three out of five of those who tested positive for the virus did not show symptoms.

The authors suggest this means that workers can be a "reservoir" for infection.

Currently, face masks are mandatory in supermarkets unless the person is medically exempt, which provides protection.

But can you catch the virus from touching things on the shelves?

The World Health Organization says: “There is no evidence that“ Covid-19 ”can spread through contact with food or food packages.

It is generally believed that “Covid-19” is spread from person to person.

This reflects public health guidelines for this matter.

But last month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that the coronavirus could spread through traded goods.

“This disease can be transmitted not only by standing near someone in a supermarket queue, but also by handling something that an infected person has touched,” Johnson said. “Washing your hands is as important as ever.”

Dr Tang calls for caution: “The risks of picking up the virus from surfaces were overestimated at the start of the epidemic.”

"This is certainly possible, but it is unlikely because virus particles become inactivated very quickly outside the body," he adds.

“Once again, wearing a mask is still your best protection because even if you catch the virus with your hands, there is still a chance for it to survive because it did not enter your mouth or nose to infect you,” he concludes.

“But what worries me is that it seems that we have stopped limiting the number of people in the stores,” Dr. Tang expresses his concern.

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