Experts say CDC is exaggerating outdoor transmission risk

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the risk of an outdoor COVID-19 transmission could be as high as 10%.
• The New York Times reported Tuesday that the CDC’s estimate is greatly exaggerated. 
• In reality, the actual figure is less than 1 percent, and may possibly even be below 0.1 percent. 

A New York Times report on Tuesday claims that the CDC is grossly exaggerating the risk of COVID-19 transmission outdoors. The agency says there is a roughly 10 percent chance of infection but in reality, it is less than 1 percent.

A top infectious disease doctor, Dr. Muge Cevik, of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, told the New York Times that the CDC’s higher federal figure “seems to be a huge exaggeration.”

Another medical expert, Dr. Aaron Richterman of the University of Pennsylvania said, “I’m sure it’s possible for transmission to occur outdoors in the right circumstances. But if we had to put a number on it, I would say much less than 1 percent.”

According to the Times, “Saying that less than 10 percent of Covid transmission occurs outdoors is akin to saying that sharks attack fewer than 20,000 swimmers a year. (The actual worldwide number is around 150.) It’s both true and deceiving.”

Why is it important? Because the figure has been used by the CDC to justify its current coronavirus safety recommendations to the public. Safety guidelines include wearing masks at “large public venues’’ even for vaccinated people.

Reportedly, the CDC based its outdoor transmission figure on research taken from cases at construction sites in Singapore.

The CDC responded to the Times in a statement, “There are limited data on outdoor transmission.

“The data we do have supports the hypothesis that the risk of outdoor transmission is low. 10 percent is a conservative estimate from a recent systemic review of peer-reviewed papers.

“It is important for people and communities to consider their own situations and risks and to take appropriate steps to protect their health.”

CDC chief Dr. Rochelle Walensky was questioned about the figure during an appearance before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions on Tuesday.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) asked Walensky about the Times’ report, saying the 10 percent figure “is almost certainly misleading” and it “undermines public confidence in your recommendations.”

According to Walensky, the 10 percent threshold came from a study that was published in the Journal of Infectious Disease back in November. 

Source: New York Post