Upcoming Holidays and Covid

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Anchor lead: Covid-19 is not taking a holiday, Elizabeth Tracey reports

What are your plans for Thanksgiving? Christmas? Lisa Maragakis, an infectious diseases expert at Johns Hopkins, says it’s a sure bet Covid-19 won’t be taking a holiday, and holiday gatherings have the potential to infect large numbers of people at once.

Maragakis: We really see prominent examples of what we call superspreader events. What we think happens is a group gathers together and if they have the  unfortunate circumstance of having someone in their midst that has a high viral load, a lot of virus that is being shed, and the perfect conditions of being indoors, particularly if those individuals are talking or singing or shouting, and the airflow dynamics are just right, we have superspreader events. Large large numbers, potentially tens or even hundreds of people can contract the virus at that one event.   :34

Maragakis says creativity may help here, perhaps planning an outdoor activity to visit with friends and family. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.