There are certain things we do in our daily lives that increase the risk of catching Covid-19.
Two years into the coronavirus pandemic, normal life is slowly returning in England, with the easing of restrictions and rules.
Despite Covid rates increasing thanks to the Omicron variant, the hospital admission rate has decreased. Even so, it's important to do all we can to avoid spreading Covid.
It's well known that certain places and activities can increase our risk, but a new study has offered clear estimates about the risk of Covid infection.
So which activities are safe, and how safe exactly are they? Researchers have published a study in the peer-reviewed Environmental Science & Technology journal calculated the exact risk of catching Covid in various environments.
Where you're most likely to catch Covid
Displayed in a handy chart, the authors of the study have listed the percentage likelihood of becoming infected in different situations.
For example, if you're sitting in a crowded, poorly ventilated cinema with a mostly unmasked audience, there's a 10.7% chance of being infected, assuming everyone in the room is silent and it is poorly ventilated.
However, if there are some people talking, the odds of infection jump to 26%.
If the audience is masked, the risk of infection drops to a mere 4.4% if they stay silent, or 16% if there is talking.
Unsurprisingly, the risk of catching Covid is lowest in outdoor areas, and the risk is lowered if people stay silent and wear a mask.
You can see the chart, which has been adapted from the report itself to reflect the spread of Omicron, here.
For example, if you're standing with someone outside for a short period of time, and neither of you are talking, there is less than 0.001% likelihood of catching Covid outdoors.
If it's in a poorly ventilated area, the risk creeps up to 0.052%.
If you're wearing a face covering but speaking for a short time to someone who is infected outside, there is a 0.001% chance of you getting Covid.
If the area is poorly ventilated, there is a 0.25% chance, according to the study. The chance of catching Covid increases if the place has a high volume of people.
According to the chart, you have a 29% chance of catching Covid if you're doing heavy exercise in a poorly ventilated, high occupancy indoor area, if you're not wearing a face covering and have contact for a long time.
However, the study does not take into account the measures individual gyms have brought in to keep their customers safe.
The study explains that if you do a combination of things that are in the "dark red" cells of the table, you're more likely to get Covid.
The things that increase your risk are:
- Gathering together with lots of people in an enclosed space with poor air quality, such as an under-ventilated gym, nightclub or school classroom
- Doing something strenuous or rowdy such as exercising, singing or shouting
- Leaving off your masks
- Staying there for a long time
To avoid catching Covid, the study recommends keeping in the green or amber spaces of the table.
That means:
If you must meet other people, do so outdoors or in a space that’s well-ventilated or meet in a space where the ventilation is good and air quality is known.
- Keep the number of people to a minimum
- Spend the minimum possible amount of time together
- Don’t shout, sing or do heavy exercise
- Wear high-quality, well-fitting masks from the time you enter the building to the time you leave
The study stresses that "while the chart gives an estimated figure for each situation, the actual risk will depend on the specific parameters, such as exactly how many people are in a room of what size".
In a statement, a spokesman from trade body for the physical activity sector ukactive said: "We see this as a paper to show what could happen if no mitigating factors have been put in place, which is not the case currently. The UK gym and leisure centre sector can show that with the correct mitigating processes and procedures, gyms and leisure centres remain a low risk area. This can be seen by the latest data that shows an overall rate of 0.83 cases per 100,000 visits, measured from 12 April 2021 to 21 November 2021, based on over 125 million visits.
"On top of this, recent research from Glasgow Caledonian University shows that 'engaging regularly in moderate to vigorous physical activity is associated with a 31% risk reduction of community-acquired infectious disease and 37% risk reduction in infectious disease mortality'."
The study was completed by Trish Greenhalgh, Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford; Jose-Luis Jimenez, Distinguished Professor, Chemistry, University of Colorado Boulder; Shelly Miller, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, and Zhe Peng, Research Scientist, University of Colorado Boulder.
UPDATE: This article has been updated to reflect changes to 'minor errors' in an article written by the authors of the report after publication.
