3/ Let's take a closer look at location: studies show that the risk of #SARSCoV2 transmission is higher indoors compared to outdoors, and particularly risky in indoor settings with poor ventilation, especially where people spend long periods of time. #COVID19
4/ @WHO has recommended improving ventilation as part of a comprehensive set of interventions to reduce the spread of #SARSCoV2 since the beginning of the #COVID19 pandemic when we issued our first package of guidance in Jan 2020...
5/ With the help of multidisciplinary groups of scientists around the 🌍, @WHO has expanded ventilation guidance throughout 2020-21 for homes, treatment facilities, quarantine facilities, workplaces, schools & today we are issuing our latest... #COVID19
6/ We thank the Environment and Engineering Control Expert Advisory Panel (ECAP) for COVID-19, with the following members, Techne, @WHO teams & many partners for their support with this.
7/ @WHO is grateful for the 1000s of scientists and public health professionals around the 🌍 that work with us to review the science and generate & update guidance to fight #COVID19.
Meta-analysis of 54 studies with 77 ,758 participants, the estimated mean secondary attack rate (SAR) for household contacts was 16.4% (95% CI, 13.4%-19.6%) & family contacts was 17.4% (95% CI, 12.7%-22.5%)
Household and family SARs were >3 times higher than for close contacts (4.8%; 95% CI, 3.4%-6.5%; P < .001)
2/ (Preprint of this has been available for some time, & peer-review paper available in Sept) but re-sharing to make a few points still critical today.
Infection can be prevented and even 1️⃣ case is 1️⃣ case too many
From day 1, @WHO has worked to protect health workers with IPC guidance first issued in early January, <2 weeks after @WHO learned about the cluster in Wuhan, 🇨🇳
1/
Even if local areas can only focus on identifying symptomatic cases & isolate & care for them; trace & quarantine close contacts; you can eventually catch up on finding mild & asymptomatic cases because they will already be in quarantine.
3/ Remember cases have highest viral loads (appear to be most infectious) -2 days before & up to 5-7 days after symptom onset for mild/moderate patients.
Severe/critical patients (who should be cared for in hospital) can be infectious for up to three weeks & possibly longer.
Highlighting the importance of:
➡️Knowledge of infection status
➡️Community engagement
➡️Adequate public health capacity
➡️Adequate health system capacity
➡️Border controls