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What is the viral load of covid-19? 2:13
(CNN Spanish) - One of the most common questions about the new coronavirus is how likely it is to spread through a person outdoors compared to closed places, such as a supermarket or a room.
In this episode, Dr. Elmer Huerta explains what the infectious dose of a virus is all about and why it is important to know it to prevent infection with the disease.
You can listen to this episode on Spotify or your favorite podcast platform or read the transcript below.
Hello, I am Dr. Elmer Huerta and this is your daily dose of information about the new coronavirus, information that we hope will be useful to take care of your health and that of your family.
Today we will see what is the infectious dose of a virus and why that knowledge is important in order to prevent the disease.
One of the most common questions that have arisen during this pandemic caused by the new coronavirus is the one that refers to the possibility of being infected if a person is on the street, compared to if they are in a supermarket, in a sick person's room. from covid-19 or in a hospital.
To understand the answer to that question, it is important to define two important concepts: that of infectious dose of a virus and that of viral load.
The infectious dose of a virus is the minimum amount of virus that is capable of causing disease, an amount that specialists can measure in hundreds or thousands.
Through complicated experiments, it has been determined that viruses have different infectious doses, accepting that, generally, depending on the immunity of a population against a virus, some, such as this new coronavirus, may need a lower infectious dose.
Remember that being new, no human being has a defense against the coronavirus that causes covid-19.
On the other hand, the viral load refers to the number of viral particles that a person has within his body and, therefore, is able to launch into the environment with his cough, his sneezes or simply his breathing.
As Dr. Edward Parker of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said, the viral load is the intensity of the fire, while the infectious dose is the spark capable of causing a fire.
On the other hand, there are people, who are very difficult to recognize, who are carriers of a large viral load and are more capable of infecting many secondary contacts than other people. They have been called "supercontagiators".
Therefore, to answer the question related to the probability of becoming infected if a person is on the street, in a supermarket, in a covid-19 patient's room or in a hospital, it is necessary to know that this risk is going to depend on the amount of virus that may be present in these different environments.
Undoubtedly, the possibility of finding a greater number of infectious viral particles is greater in a hospital or in the room of a covid-19 patient, than in the street or a supermarket.
That is why, in order to prevent contagion in these two circumstances, whether it is encountering a "supercontainer" or being in an environment with more viruses, it is important to understand that social distancing and the use of masks should be common practices of daily life.
Send me your questions on Twitter, we will try to answer them in our next episodes. You can find me at @DrHuerta.
If you think this podcast is useful, please help others find it by rating and reviewing it in your favorite podcast app. We'll be back tomorrow so be sure to subscribe to get the latest episode on your account.
And for the most up-to-date information, you can always go to CNNEspanol.com. Thanks for your attention.
If you have any questions, you can send them to Dr. Elmer Huerta on Twitter. You can also go to CNNE.com/coronaviruspodcast for all the episodes of our podcast “Coronavirus: Reality vs. fiction".
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