Today’s entry: Can you get COVID from food? If yes, why is any food place open, if no, why are we covering our mouths. Why don't just we cover our nose, and what about our eyes?
Bottom Line: At the onset, I see where you’re going with this line of thinking. And you’re right. Officials are just making up policy as they go. That doesn’t mean there isn’t rhyme and reason to at least some of it. Especially as it applies to your specific questions. I’ll take your questions in order. Can you get COVID from food? The current guidance from the CDC says, "Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that handling food or consuming food is associated with COVID-19". So, to answer your question, even if it is possible, it’s clearly not a concern in general. Given that the answer is no, let's move to covering our mouths, relative to eyes and the nose. We do have research on the topic.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in June found approximately 0.8% of COVID-19 transmission occurred through the eyes. The average person blinks ten times per minute, many wear glasses and some face shields as masks. The combination of all of these dynamics makes transmission through the eyes possible but extremely low. With 99.2% of transmission happening through the nose and mouth, it’s logical that the focus is on coverings for them specifically.
Now, regarding the risk of obtaining the virus by eating out. According to a risk scale of activities complied by the Texas Medical Association, with a 1 being the lowest risk and 10 the highest, eating inside of a restaurant carries a risk score of a 7. Eating at a restaurant outside has a risk score of 4. Related, patronizing a bar carries a risk of 9. This illustrates the different layers of risk associated with eating or drinking out. It’s also been considered by public officials as they’ve crafted policy decisions.
This takes us full circle in this conversation. There’s nothing we’re going to do to completely mitigate the risk of COVID-19. It’s all about risk management. Studies have shown that a combination of wearing masks covering one’s nose and mouth along with socially distancing reduces the risk of contracting the virus by 97%. Clearly not perfect, but highly effective. Some people smoke two packs a day for sixty years and never develop cancer. Some people never smoke a cigarette but do. Yet, smoking increases one’s risk for lung cancer alone by 546%. That’s life in a nutshell. This is why I feel pragmatism is important in the conversation. It’s like anything in life. There are no guarantees of outcomes based on behavior but there are best practices that result in improved outcomes far more often than not.
Submit your questions using one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
Twitter: @brianmuddradio
Facebook: Brian Mudd https://www.facebook.com/brian.mudd1
Photo by: CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images