5 MINUTE TIMER BOMB CORONAVIRUS SERIES

The outbreak investigation used video evidence from surveillance cameras in the prison to document the short interactions. At the time Vermont was experiencing low levels of community spread. The employee reported no close contacts outside of work and they hadn’t traveled outside the state. The inmates were waiting on test results in a quarantine unit.

5 MINUTE TIMER BOMB CORONAVIRUS SERIES

The investigation found that a prison employee in Vermont was infected, most likely during a series of brief contacts with infected but asymptomatic inmates. The new advice comes on the heels of an outbreak investigation published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. As an epidemiologist who studies respiratory virus transmission, I actually don’t think this change will greatly impact how we live our lives during the pandemic, but it does represent continued evidence of how easily this virus spreads. This change is an example of how science works. This change reflects new evidence that has emerged.

It is not a dramatic reversal of CDC guidance, like those related to masks and the back-and-forth on testing of asymptomatic individuals. This new guidance, then, is an important recognition of the ease with which this virus can spread. These should be used as rough estimates to indicate the types of contact that are relatively higher risk. In the same way, there is nothing magic about 15 minutes. Specifically, the new guidance suggests that those spending a total of 15 minutes of contact with an infectious person over the course of a 24-hour period should be considered in close contact.ĭespite the change, most public health professionals have been clear for months that there is nothing magic about six feet. Now, the CDC is acknowledging that even brief contact can lead to transmission. The previous guidance suggested that a close contact occurred when a person was within six feet of an infectious individual for 15 consecutive minutes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has new guidance clarifying what exactly “close contact” means when it comes to transmission of SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

5 minute timer bomb coronavirus