To Reduce COVID-19 Superspread: Consider Density, Distance, Duration

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Through the many months of the COVID-19 pandemic, our knowledge of the virus and its transmission has significantly evolved. One such area is the understanding of what contributes to superspreading events, as discussed in the recent study, Estimating the overdispersion in COVID-19 transmission using outbreak sizes outside China.

 

 While the continuing transmission of the virus suggests that it has a high reproductive rate, there can be significant variation in the number of secondary transmissions (i.e., “superspreading” events). However, what is being seen is that even if the incidence of illness in a community is low, the “right” conditions can lead to “superspreading,” and contribute to large outbreaks. For example, if a community begins to reduce its protections – such as reopening businesses and schools to full capacity without masks and six-foot distancing, etc. – employees in that area become more likely to become infected – and carry the virus into your workplace.

 

To continue to protect your workers and your business, TAG’s advice is to maintain controls that avoid high density, short distance, and long duration exposures in indoor spaces (density, distance, and duration) – and advise employees to do so when not at work. These are the ingredients that can lead to superspreading events where one asymptomatic employee can transmit to many others. 

 

In most food manufacturing facilities, the highest risk areas now are likely to be lunchrooms and breakrooms since these are places where people congregate, take off their masks, and talk to each other for extended periods of time.

 

Care and caution are particularly critical now as the risk profiles have, again, been increasing both in the U.S. and around the world (as shown in TAG’s most recent risk matrix analysis). Keep your defenses in place; we’re still in the fight!

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