Every Monday, HuffPost answers questions about Covid-19 and health in general. Today they answer the question, “If I hold my breath when I pass people, would that help to avoid getting coronavirus if they have it?”
I found myself doing this, especially indoors, since the pandemic hit, and I assume many others have too. But I haven’t heard anyone talk about it until now. And the answer to the question in a nutshell: it “could help.”
From HuffPost:
“The risk of transmission if you just cross someone on the street is very low, especially if you wear a good mask,” said Professor Jose-Luis Jimenez, an aerosol expert at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
That said, holding your breath when you cross someone “can help a little in some very rare circumstances,” he says. For example, if you cross someone who sheds a high viral load in aerosols, and their exhaled air just happens to go ahead with little dilution.
… Dr. Tang recommends that if you see someone walking up to you, take a quick breath in and then exhale after walking past it.
“Holding your breath is good, but when you breathe out it’s even better because you blow out any virus,” he says.
Image by Derrick Coetzee – Flickr: Regional Ambassadors Walking in Boston, CC0