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Experts say it’s possible we may see an increase in cases if people are unable or unwilling to physically distance.

“The center of a large crowd is no different than a sealed off, unventilated room filled with potentially infected individuals — many holding large signs which will block the flow of clean air,” said Dr. Stephen Berger, an infectious disease expert and co-founder of GIDEON (Global Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Network).

“If even one carrier of COVID-19 was present at these gatherings, we can expect to see a wave of cases appearing during the next 2 to 14 days. Most will begin to experience symptoms 5 to 6 days after the event,” he said.

But you may be able to get COVID-19 through your eyes, as well. “Theoretically, the virus of COVID-19 could arrive to the eyes and travel down through our tear ducts into the nose and throat,” explains Stephen Berger, M.D., a double board-certified infectious disease specialist, microbiologist, and founder of GIDEON, the Global Infectious Disease and Epidemiology Online Network. This route of infection hasn’t been proven but is suspected to be how some people get the virus.

Dr. Stephen Berger, an infectious disease expert and co-founder of the Global Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Network (GIDEON), also stressed the importance of 6-foot spacing.

He said a “large, open, and ventilated” space is preferred — outdoors, if possible.

“Before dining in a restaurant, the big question to ask is, simply, ‘Do they adhere to social distancing?’” Berger told Healthline. “Before sitting down and asking for a menu, check to confirm that the restaurant staff is wearing masks and that these masks cover their noses and mouths.”

To estimate this risk, we must start by drawing maps: where are these species and how much are they in contact with human populations? This is the study project that Timothy Poisot initiated by combining mathematical models, artificial intelligence, and ecology.

To better understand these zoonoses—diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans—researchers drew data from the large epidemiological inventory of human diseases identified, the GIDEON database.

(Translated from French by Google)

“Almost by definition, an exercise gym is swarming with objects and surfaces [that may] have been contaminated by other humans,” says Stephen Berger, MD, board-certified in infectious diseases and clinical microbiology. “Repeated contact with workout machines, weights, etc., can transfer an invisible layer of bacteria, viruses and even parasites to our own skin and clothing.”

“Pathogens can be seen directly in specimens from the patient, often using a microscope, or grown in the laboratory over a period of days to weeks,” Stephen Berger, founder of the Global Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Network, said.
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“In most viral infections, specific antibodies can be detected for months to years following infection — and in many cases well into old age,” says Berger.

“All three countries have a coordinated, nationwide, centrally planned response as well as travel restrictions, both domestic and international,” said Dr. Stephen Berger, a double board-certified expert in infectious diseases and microbiology and the founder of GIDEON, the Global Infectious Disease and Epidemiology Online Network.

In addition, Berger told Healthline that “both Vietnam and South Africa have been strictly enforcing their chosen policies with police and military involvement. New Zealand and South Africa have employed nationwide lockdowns.”

Stephen Berger, M.D., a board-certified infectious disease doctor and co-founder of the Global Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Network (GIDEON), an online diagnosis and reference tool for infectious diseases and microbiology … [explains] “A gym is just another venue in which disease can be passed from person to person, and the risk of contracting COVID-19 might increase there, where group sports and games require close personal contact,” he explains. “The fact that you might be young and healthy won’t affect your chance of becoming [infected]; it will really only increase your chances of surviving an infection without severe or fatal consequences.”

“Mobile phones are like international ambulatory five-star luxury hotels” for germs. In fact, he said, “no other type of everyday object can compete.”

That point was seconded by Dr. Stephen Berger, co-founder of Global Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Network (GIDEON) in Tel Aviv, Israel.

“Cellular phones are ideal vehicles for the virus of COVID-19,” he agreed. “They are repeatedly exposed to material exhaled from our mouth and nose and spend literally hours in our rather filthy hands. Viruses of this type are known to survive on plastics and stainless steel for two to three hours; on aluminum for two to eight hours, on cardboard and paper for up to 24 hours, and on ceramic or glass for up to five days.”

The answer here is: probably. Whether it’s safe or not depends largely on two things: where you live and the time you choose to go for a walk, says Stephen Berger, MD, a board-certified infectious disease doctor and co-founder of GIDEON (the Global Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Network), an online diagnosis and reference tool for infectious diseases and microbiology.

Using the Global Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Online Network (GIDEON) database, it was even possible to date the start of this increase of global outbreaks in rickettsial diseases in 1971.

“I reached out to an expert in infectious disease, Dr. Stephen Berger. Berger is board-certified in both infectious diseases and clinical microbiology and is a co-founder of GIDEON, the Global Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Network. Here are his insights into the connections between coronavirus and food. The interview has been condensed and edited.”