False: There are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 spreading outdoors in the U.S.

By: Rashmi S
August 18 2021

Share Article: facebook logo twitter logo linkedin logo
False: There are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 spreading outdoors in the U.S.

Fact-Check

The Verdict False

There is limited data on the exact number of people who got infected outdoors. It is still possible to contract the coronavirus in an outdoor setting.

Claim ID 881e348c

There is limited data on the exact number of people who got infected outdoors. It is still possible to contract the coronavirus in an outdoor setting.Researchers from around the world have published a study that observed factors related to the spread of COVID-19 in both outdoor and indoor environments. The study stated that the risk of respiratory viral infections transmitted outdoors to be lower, and there is less data on SARS-CoV-2 transmission in outdoor versus indoor settings. According to five investigations, just 10 percent of global SARS-CoV-2 infections were recorded to have occurred outdoors. When compared to outdoor transmission, the chances of inside transmission were relatively high, 95 percent. Outdoor illness reports were linked to factors like duration and frequency of personal contact, lack of personal protective equipment, and intermittent interior gathering during a primarily outdoor encounter. The study concluded that collecting data on outdoor transmission was difficult due to the high variation in study quality and unique definitions of outside settings. According to the Journal of Infectious Diseases, outdoor surroundings appear to have a reduced risk of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses transmission than indoor conditions. There is evidence that infection transmission can occur outside, necessitating further research. Outdoor environments provide more physical separation by wearing masks and maintaining social distance, which minimizes the likelihood of virus transmission via larger respiratory droplets. There is no data on how many people were infected outdoors. Thomson Reuters report on daily COVID numbers stated that U.S. leads the world in the daily average number of new infections reported, accounting for one in every six infections reported worldwide each day. There have been 35,513,402 infections and 613,420 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began. The report also showed the lockdown measures taken by the country to help curb the infection rate. In the first half of 2021, the country was not under nationwide lockdown. From July 2021, people were asked not to leave their homes unless required. There was a far lower percentage of COVID-19 transmission outside the United States than inside the transmission. There is limited data on how many people were infected outdoors. However, it is not impossible to be infected in an outdoor setting. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19, including symptoms, prevention, and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organization or your national healthcare authority.

Would you like to submit a claim to fact-check or contact our editorial team?

0
Global Fact-Checks Completed

We rely on information to make meaningful decisions that affect our lives, but the nature of the internet means that misinformation reaches more people faster than ever before