Your kitchen could be a hot spot for COVID if you have it, studies suggest

At present, public places such as restaurants, supermarkets and other indoor facilities enforce strict safety rules to help stop the spread of COVID-19. But recent studies show that your own home – including your kitchen and other often-shared rooms – can be just as susceptible to the same health risks as someone in your household is infected with the virus.

A brand-new analysis published Monday in the journal JAMA Network Open looked at 54 studies involving a total of more than 77,000 participants and found that “as individuals with suspected or confirmed infections are referred to home isolation, households will remain an important location for the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. “ (Related: The Only Vitamin Doctors are urging everyone to take right now.)

As CNN reports, “The risk was higher if the relative showed symptoms of Covid-19 – such as coughing, sneezing, body aches, chills, and fever – than if the person showed few or no signs of the virus, the study found. the study was also higher between adults than between adults and children. “

In other words, if someone in your home is symptomatic (or not!) And in the kitchen or other communal areas without a mask and socially distance yourself, your risk of getting COVID can significantly increase.

So, what are some ways to stay safe in your own home? First, if someone you live with thinks he / she has been exposed to COVID or tested positive, he or she should stay in quarantine away from others. The CDC website recommends supporting them by making sure they drink and rest a lot. “Help them run errands, fill out recipes and get other things they need,” the CDC suggests. You can do this in a contactless way by using delivery services and then simply drop these items outside their bedroom or quarantine room door.

Dr. Tanya Altmann, a pediatrician and author, told CNN that another way to keep your kitchen safe is to use gloves when handling and cleaning dishes that someone who tested positive has also touched.

“You can have a healthy person eat and drink the sick person at the door, and then wash their hands,” she says of someone who has been quarantined. “Wear gloves to pick up the empty plates, take them back to the kitchen and wash them in hot water with soap, or rather a dishwasher, and wash your hands again.”

Experts also told CNN that it is important to disinfect frequently touched surfaces in your kitchen, such as the handles of your refrigerator and microwave, and to let fresh air flow through your home by opening windows or using an air purifier with a HEPA filter or buy a humidifier.

In general, the CDC also recommends that everyone, regardless of infection status, take necessary precautions by washing their hands regularly, regularly disinfecting communal surfaces, and when going out in public, wear a mask and distance themselves from others.

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