With many store shelves completely cleared of cleaning
supplies and other essentials due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, more
people are resorting to online shopping (that is, if they hadn't already been
avid Amazon Prime or Instacart users already). The surge is so large that even
online retailers are finding it hard to keep up with the ever-growing demand:
According to one recent CNBC report, same-day and next-day delivery services
offered by Amazon, Instacart, and Walmart are experiencing delays in some areas
of the country in response to the public health crisis.
Also worth noting: online shopping can add an extra layer of
coronavirus protection, since it limits direct contact with a large number of
people (hello, social distancing)—but, while it certainly seems like the safer
option, could online shopping lead to coronavirus spreading through mail and
packages?
The answer: For the most part, no. Early on in the outbreak,
the World Health Organization set out to dispel myths surrounding
coronavirus—and the worry that coronavirus could travel from China via packages
was one of them. According to the WHO, "People receiving packages from
China are not at risk of contracting the new coronavirus."
But what about mail from other countries or US domestic
deliveries from areas where COVID-19 has been reported? In a Q and A, the
organization states: "The likelihood of an infected person contaminating
commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19
from a package that has been moved, travelled, and exposed to different
conditions and temperature is also low."
That's not to say, however, that the coronavirus can't be
found on packages ever: One March 11 study published in the New England Journal
of Medicine found that the coronavirus can live up to 24 hours on cardboard,
and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel. But, according to
Joseph Vinetz, MD, a Yale Medicine infectious disease specialist, that doesn't
mean it will infect you. "Detection does not mean transmissible," he
says.
Alan Koff, MD, chief fellow of the infectious disease
program at Yale School of Medicine, adds that the conditions packages go
through may also make it more difficult for the virus to survive. "It is
likely that the temperature outside and the length of time the package is in
shipping may impact the survival of the virus on that surface," he
says—that's in contrast to the lab settings viruses are usually tested in. All
that's to say, of course, that even if coronavirus coronavirus did make it on
to a package, it would likely not make it to your door.
While contracting coronavirus through a package alone is
very unlikely, there's another thing that factors into your coronavirus risk
with receiving mail: the health of mail carriers and package handlers. That's
because, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the primary
way the coronavirus spreads is via direct contact with the respiratory droplets
of those who are showing symptoms. Theoretically, if your mail carrier is ill,
they can pass the virus to you.
That's the real threat—one that may be more than
theoretical. Letter carriers interviewed by ProPublica reported that they are
being pressured to deliver the mail despite developing symptoms, and some say
they're working with little or no hand sanitizer. That said, the United States
Postal Service released a memo recently, per the Federal News Network,
outlining their coronavirus policies, which includes urging employees to stay
home if they feel sick. The memo also mentioned a social distancing policy, urging
carriers to maintain a three- to six-foot distance between themselves and
customers whenever possible.
Meantime, workers in a Queens, New York, Amazon warehouse
learned March 18 that someone in their facility had tested positive for
COVD-19, according to a report in The Atlantic. It is believed to be the first
confirmed case among the company's hourly warehouse workers.
Ultimately, while there is a very small chance for
coronavirus to be transmitted via packages or mail carriers, it's highly unlikely.
"I don't believe mail or packages should be a major concern for
individuals," Amesh Adalja, MD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins
University Center for Health Security. "This is not going to be a major
route of illness."
If you're still worried, follow the CDC's general advice for
protecting yourself from the coronavirus and wash your hands thoroughly after
handling the mail.
(Health.com)
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