Coronavirus: Most contamination occurs inside homes according to a British study

According to a study by British researchers from Imperial College London, contamination from Covid-19 occurs mainly within the family among all observed transmission environments.

“After analyzing data from different backgrounds including families, social gatherings with friends and family, travel, doctor visits, work and casual close contacts (customers in a supermarket), the researchers found that families have the transmission rate higher with a rate of 21.1%, “concluded Imperial College London in a report published on Friday 27 November. The rate of reproduction of the virus within the family, or the number of people a patient infects, is 0.96. According to the researchers, it is almost a quarter of the contamination that occurs inside the hearth.

The study also showed that the chances of one family member infecting another increase when the exposure time exceeds five days. However, the researchers point out that most of the studies were conducted in China, “where strict control measures have been implemented that could limit the relevance of the estimates.”

Less contagious asymptomatic cases

This study therefore raises questions as the holidays approach. “While many countries recommend isolation measures as the holiday season approaches and with sick people isolating themselves inside their homes, our results show that this place is likely to continue to play an important role in the transmission of the virus.” says Hayley Thompson, author of the report.

However, the study shows that asymptomatic cases of infection are less contagious than cases with symptoms. ‘This analysis provides some of the first evidence that asymptomatic infections are substantially less contagious than symptomatic cases,’ says Professor Neil Fergusson. According to the study, there is a 3.5% chance that an asymptomatic patient “contaminates close contact” versus 12.8% for a symptomatic person.