Experts say coronavirus outbreaks at choirs across the U.S. and Europe, despite physical distancing measures, reinforce how far COVID-19 respiratory droplets can travel, especially when singing.
U.S. health officials studying how a COVID-19 outbreak managed to occur among members of a Washington state choir in early March found that droplets released during singing may have spread the virus.published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 52 members of the Skagit Valley Chorale were sickened, three were hospitalized and two died following two rehearsals that included a member with cold-like symptoms.
"The potential for superspreader events underscores the importance of physical distancing, including avoiding gathering in large groups, to control spread of COVID-19," the CDC report said. "Enhancing community awareness can encourage symptomatic persons and contacts of ill persons to isolate or self-quarantine to prevent ongoing transmission."
"Singing in a group typically involves standing in a close [room] for an extended period of time. The risk of inhaling infected droplets depends on both closeness and amount time -- get close enough to people who are infected, and do so for long enough, and you will get infected too. For that reason, I would rate group singing as extremely risky," Furness said in an email on Sunday.
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