Latest on the COVID-19 Coronavirus, Its Transmission, and Its Effects

The United States is far from "turning the corner" on the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. New cases and hospitalizations are on the rise across the country. The Lexington Herald Leader ran this headline earlier today. "Kentucky coronavirus record: 2,700 new cases and 14 deaths. Positivity rate above 8%." It reported that the state's positivity rate continues to spike, topping at 8.12 percent, the highest since May 5. My own country is a "red-zone" county, which means that it has one of the highest incidences of infection in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Today the county health department reported 24 new cases. I am posting links to a number of articles that may prove helpful to church leaders seeking to protect their congregations and their communities from the virus. 

These Venues Are High-Risk Areas for Spreading the Coronavirus, Model Suggests

Restaurants, gyms and coffee shops rank high among locations where the coronavirus is most likely to spread outside the home. That’s according to a newly published report based on data from millions of Americans, tracked by their phones as they went about daily life during the pandemic’s first wave. Read More

In Places You're Most likely to Catch Covid-19, Reducing Crowds Can Help

A small minority of places where people go frequently account for a large majority of coronavirus infections in big cities, according to a new modeling study. Read More

COVID Spreads Quickly Here, Warns CDC

During a week in which doctors, experts, governors and the Coronavirus Task Force have warned that COVID is spreading indoors among families, the CDC has just released a report confirming that household spread was common and quick anong the families it studied. "Household transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is common and occurs early after illness onset. Persons should self-isolate immediately at the onset of COVID-like symptoms, at the time of testing as a result of a high risk exposure, or at time of a positive test result, whichever comes first," the authors reported on October 30th. "All household members, including the index case, should wear masks within shared spaces in the household." Read More

Covid-19 Patients Infect Half of Household: US Govt Study

People who develop Covid-19 infect around half of their household members, with adults only slightly more likely than children to spread the virus, a US government study said Friday. Read More

There's One Main Way to Contract COVID-19 When Grocery Shopping, CDC Says

Grocery shopping, while a necessity, has become one of the most anxiety-inducing activities in our daily pandemic-filled lives. From crowds that are sometimes impossible to avoid to concerns surrounding what we should and shouldn't be touching, the potential for contracting the coronavirus seems overwhelming. However, we can all breathe a collective (masked) sigh of relief, because the CDC is has provided clear, instructive safety guidelines that we can follow to ensure we're staying as safe as possible when we're out shopping. Read More

How Does COVID-19 Spread Differently Than The Flu?

There are some similarities between coronavirus and influenza transmission, but also a few scary and distinct differences. Read More>

CDC Now Says Masks Protect Both the Wearers and Those around Them from Covid-19

Wearing a mask can help protect you, not just those around you, from coronavirus transmission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in new guidance Tuesday. The statement was an update to previous guidance suggesting the main benefit of mask wearing was to help prevent infected people from spreading the virus to others. Read More

The 'Dose' of Coronavirus a Person Gets May Determine How Sick They Get; Masks Could Help

"The dose makes the poison" is an adage credited to Paracelsus, a Swiss physician-philosopher from the early Renaissance. Basically, it means that any substance can become toxic if given at a high enough concentration. Even too much water can throw off your electrolytes and be potentially fatal. Viewing the coronavirus through that lens -- that the "dose" of the virus you receive might make the difference between being asymptomatic, getting mildly sick or becoming critically ill -- may be helpful when thinking about protection against Covid-19 as the colder temperatures arrive and cases spike. Read More

One of the factors that is considered in determing whether a place is high-risk for spread the COVID-19 coronavirus is the length of time that people may be exposed to the virus while they are in that place. For this reason places of worship are considered as high-risk places since people typically spend an hour or more gathered in one room in a place of worship. The longer the people are gathered together, the longer they may be exposed to the virus and the higher the "dose" of the virus to which they may be exposed. The number of people who are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic but infectious, the optional use of face masks, poor ventilation, inadequate social distancing, the lack of other precautionary measures, the tendency to lower one's guard when around friends and acquaintances, and the belief that God will provide blanket protection from the virus to the congregation are also factors that affect the "dose" of the virus that people may receive while they are at a place of worship.

Does Weather Affect the Spread of the Coronavirus Outside?

Does weather affect the spread of the coronavirus outside Not really. The World Health Organization says the virus can be transmitted in any kind of weather and that there is no reason to believe that cold weather can kill it. The U.N. health agency says the virus is mainly spread between people. Rain and snow might dilute any traces of the virus on benches or other outside objects, but transmission from surfaces is not believed to be a major contributor to the pandemic. Scientists say the real concern about cold weather is that lower temperatures are more likely to keep people indoors — potentially in more crowded spaces where the virus can spread more easily. Read More

Pregnant Women with Covid-19 Face Higher Risk of Severe Illness and Death, Study Says

Pregnant women infected with the coronavirus are more likely to become severely ill and die from Covid-19, and they're at increased risk for premature delivery, according to a pair of reports released Monday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read More

One in Five COVID-19 Patients Develop Mental Illness within 90 Days - Study

Many COVID-19 survivors are likely to be at greater riskof developing mental illness, psychiatrists said on Monday, after a large study found 20% of those infected with the coronavirus are diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder within 90 days. Read More

Also see "Bidirectional associations between COVID-19 and psychiatric disorder: retrospective cohort studies of 62 354 COVID-19 cases in the USA"