We are witnessing a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country, mostly infections from the new Omicron variant. At least 1,79,723 new Covid-19 cases were reported on Monday alone, as per a Times of India report, and there is a renewed necessity to take detailed precautions to protect ourselves from this new variant. While following the basic guidelines of using sanitizers often and wearing a mask every time while stepping outdoors, one also needs to be well informed of the activities that might put you at a higher risk of contracting the virus so that you can avoid them.
Now, recent research by Virus Watch Study systematically lists activities that have the biggest chance of exposing you to the virus. Shopping, going to work and using public transport contribute the most to Covid-19 transmission, said the study titled “Virus Watch Study: Non-household activities Covid risk, 20 December 2021,” published on January 7.
The study takes into account the behavior of people in non-household activities during the second wave of the pandemic, when there were restrictions, compared to behavior during September and November last year, when there were no restrictions. According to the study, both during the restriction phase and non-restriction phase, shopping accounted for the most amount of infections that were acquired outdoors, followed closely by the use of public transport as well as leaving home to go to the workplace.
The study also said that even though participation in indoor or outdoor sports activities contributed to greater risk, it was probably caused by the social events associated with them. According to the study, people who leave their homes to shop even twice a week are more likely to be exposed to the virus than others.
Posing lesser risk than the activities mentioned above and yet enough not to be ignored are eating at indoor restaurants or cafes, sharing a car with someone not from the same household and attending indoor or outdoor parties. The study also stated some activities that did not cause transmission of the infection from person to person. These activities include attending theatres, cinemas, concerts, indoor sports events or appointments for beauty services. The study said that they found no substantial evidence to prove that these activities increase the risk of transmission.
