The new coronavirus is good at finding hosts when it is airborne, especially indoors. Knowing that, could ventilation systems spread the virus around? And do we still need to worry about surfaces?
Seattle Times readers have sent in a lot of questions on this topic as people visit restaurants or go shopping, workers look at returning to offices, and some kids go back to school. In those scenarios, touching surfaces and breathing air pumped through an HVAC system is inevitable. So, we’ll take a look at both in this week’s FAQ Friday.
How likely are you to get the virus by touching a surface?
The main way the virus spreads is from person to person through the air, via droplets released when you sneeze, cough, laugh, sing, speak or even just breathe. That’s why experts recommend wearing a mask, keeping your distance and staying outdoors rather than indoors.
That said, surfaces can’t be ruled out entirely.
“It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, but we are still learning more about how this virus spreads.”