Six months into the pandemic, we’ve learned a lot about how SARS-CoV-2 spreads — and it’s not quite what we thought in the beginning.

@SmithDanaG explains what we now know about the primary pathways of transmission http://read.medium.com/BjjN8jT 

Surfaces don’t matter as much as we thought.

The virus is quite fragile, and doesn’t like being out in the open where it can dry up.

It’s critical to keep washing hands, but Emanuel Goldman, PhD says you don’t have to do anything excessive like disinfecting groceries.

Close range droplets are now the leading theory.

Close contact with others raises the risk of exposure to small droplets they expel by talking, breathing, etc. A virus inside a fresh droplet is more likely to be alive and infectious than one that’s been sitting on a doorknob.

Aerosol transmission has gained acceptance.

Some experts were hesitant at first to say so partly to avoid alarming the public. But recent papers provide what some have called the “smoking gun”: live, replicating virus collected from the air of Covid-19 patient hospital rooms.

All that said, here's how to protect yourself:

• Keep your distance
• Wear a mask
• Socialize outdoors for ultimate ventilation
• Too cold? Invest in an outdoor space heater or an air purifier for your home

Read on for more details on transmission http://read.medium.com/ot49rUs 

Read more on what we’ve learned 6 months in:

On vaccines: http://read.medium.com/lxl79Fy 

On ICU survival rates: http://read.medium.com/ueRweTp 

Through the eyes of Black essential workers: http://read.medium.com/9EioPn9 

From the frontlines in the ER: http://read.medium.com/ay3Rb9D