Found a good thread I wanted to share on outdoor vs. indoor transmission and how the media has been inappropriately trying to pin the blame of outbreaks on outdoor events which have not shown much efficacy in transmission:

Copied a pasted the thread contents here:

Quote:

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Some people are using the US rowers story to say outdoor activities are not Covid-safe.

The rowers were all infected by their physical therapist, who had prolonged, close, indoor contact with "pretty much the whole team" in his sessions

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/24/sports/olympics/coronavirus-us-rowing-olympics.html

This is *totally* different to spending a day on the beach or in the park, even if using shared bathrooms, shower areas, car parks.

Yet these pictures are being used to illustrate stories about the resurgence of the virus. It's hugely misleading and discourages safe behaviour.

A study of 318 outbreak clusters found only one in an outdoor environment

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.04.20053058v1

Another one found that the risk indoors is approximately 19x the risk outdoors

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.02.28.20029272v2

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I often have felt that authorities focused too much on negative recommendations (don't do this, don't do that) rather than positive recommendations (if you have a gathering, do it outdoors; go to the beach, go on hikes; etc.)

So we just had our baseball Youth state championship tournaments and hosted the 10u and 8u events. On opening night we estimated about 2000 people came thru the park. There was plenty of room and a nice breeze. If an event like that can cause a 'super spreader' than there is nothing anyone can do about any of this.

I have zero fear of catching it outdoors(not that I fear catching it, but I don't want too.) I have little fear of catching it in a store where I am constantly moving around and not next to the same person for more than a few seconds. I do however fear(for lack of a better word) catching it in close confined spaces with prolonged exposure to other people. That's why I largely avoid such situations, and otherwise go about my life.

I am sold on viral load mattering. Just avoid those situations if you are worried about it. But they cannot or rarely occur outdoors.


TO the OP, the media has a vested interest. That's all I will say about that.

That picture of the woman rowing solo with a freaking mask on.