How COVID-19 Can Quickly Spread From Even One Social Gathering

How COVID-19 Can Quickly Spread From Even One Social Gathering

  • This page was last updated at April 27, 2024.

Many experts all across the world have noted that COVID-19 is very contagious in nature. It is more contagious than the flu and can spread at a very fast pace. Social distancing is the key to control the spread of this deadly virus, which is a pandemic in nature. Novel coronavirus comes with a high infection rate, thus, it has been spreading like a wildfire all across the world.

How COVID-19 Can Quickly Spread

Many countries have witnessed that social gatherings, events or functions played a major role in the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus. Here are some examples:

  • In France Mulhouse, a prayer event attended by over 2500 Christian worshipers caused the potential spread.
  • Around seven people got infected with the virus at a carnival party in Germany Heinsberg.
  • A popular Instagram influencer brought the virus on the plane from Europe.
  • A popular event during Mardi Gras in New Orleans, LA in the United States has also played a major role in spreading the virus in the country.
  • In Puglia, Italy, a funeral of a coronavirus infected man caused the spread of the virus to the people.
  • At Bondi Beach, Australia, over 30 people got infected by the virus during a beach party.

Likewise, there have been many cases of social gatherings over the last three months that have contributed to the spread of the virus to manifolds.

The above examples clearly validate the fact that attending large social gatherings could be very dangerous. Large gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic have resulted in a portion of those attending being infected with COVID-19.

What Makes COVID-19 More Contagious Than the Flu?

Currently, it’s difficult to measure how contagious COVID-19 truly is. However, it is clear that it's far more contagious than any seasonal virus. The intensity of it's spread is so high that it can spread even while breathing or talking to someone.

Many epidemiologists have used the term RO (R ‘naught) to let all the people know how contagious COVID-19 is. Thus, some recent studies revealed that the coronavirus has an RO of up to 2.5. This means an infected person can spread this deadly virus to an average of 2.5 people, who will in turn then infect 2.5 more people and so on.

Social distancing, washing your hands, and wearing a 95% face mask is the key to controlling this virus. If an infected person stays in isolation or doesn’t meet with anyone, then the virus can’t be transmitted to other people. Here, social distancing can have a serious effect on preventing the spread to others in the community.

As we all know that no country has a vaccine to date, social distancing is the only important tool to stop the spread of this deadly virus. According to many reports and studies, a vaccine is likely to take around a year.

How Can We Control the Spread?

Today, the world is fighting the coronavirus in a uniform manner. Almost every country is suffering from heavy losses, deaths due to the virus, and economic problems. The virus has literally put everyone on the knees and crippled the normal life. In such a scenario, there are only several ways to prevent the virus and stop it’s spread in the community.

1. Social Distancing

Social distancing has become the norm all across the world. It is said to be the best way to prevent the spread of the virus. Maintaining a distance of 6 feet or more while traveling, walking, or grocery shopping can help prevent the virus from spreading.

No vaccine is available yet. Therefore, social distancing is the best way to avoid getting the virus. Of course, infected people shouldn't be out in public.

2. Wear a Face Mask and Gloves

It is mandatory to wear a face mask and gloves while going outside to avoid catching the infection. Nitrile gloves are an excellent choice as they are powder-free and do not contain latex.

3. Wash Your Hands

Washing hands every time you come from outside is also very important to minimize the chances of getting infected. It is high time to understand that without social distancing, we can’t win the battle with this deadly and highly contagious virus. Thus, social distancing plays a crucial role.

4. Self-Quarantine

Self-quarantine is the second-best way to stop the spread of the deadly virus. It's especially important to self-quarantine if you've recently traveled or attended an event with many people.

It’s best to keep yourself in self-quarantine for 14 days as you may have it, but be asymptomatic. This is the reason why many countries have imposed quarantine for outsiders.

Travelers returning from foreign countries are being forced into isolation in quarantine centers at airports or railway stations. This can be required by the government for a week or more as they assess whether you're positive or negative for the COVID-19 coronavirus.

5. Get Tested or Test Yourself

Testing is another way to determine the exact number of coronavirus patients across the world. The more testing we have, the better we can react to the severity of the virus.

Testing was infrequent in the early stage of the COVID-19 coronavirus, but that quickly ramped up and now many countries have substantially increased the testing rate.

If you think you might have COVID-19 there's a number of at-home tests coming out. You could consider buying one and seeing your results.