June 30, 2020

Superspreaders - corrected link

Jamie and I are spending the night in Glacier National Park. Interesting to be here during COVID-19. Much of the park is closed- especially the eastside that borders the Blackfeet Reservation, which has closed its borders to protect its citizens. And there is no going into Canada. For those of you that know the park, the Going To The Sun road is closed and the buses are not running. In the stores and shops and at the Park Headquarters, people are wearing masks, but not everyone. The campground seems less than full, with empty sites despite reserved signs on them.

Still I feel safe, we are outdoors and no one else seems to be using the restrooms. The showers are shut, so Jamie and I are getting a little over ripe, which is probably safer for us. And since we are socially distancing, there’s no one close enough to care. 

The van is serving its purpose well, we are safe from the rain that has accompanied us the past few days. We had a nice hike up to Avalanche Lake. I am sure it is surrounded by spectacular mountains, but the low clouds blocked them. I hope to come back some day in better weather and see the things we missed. It is so calm and pretty here that I am glad we came. The trees alone are worth it. 

Tonight we have cellular access so I thought I’d share more about superspreaders. This New York Times article explains again how just a few infected people, but not all, are the ones that spread COVID-19. The superspreaders seem to have one thing in common: going to events or work where people are in close contact for extended periods of time, usually indoors. In particular, bars and restaurants, nursing homes, day care centers, workplaces, churches, musical events seem to be most likely. 
This is good to know- avoid those places if you possibly can. If you can’t avoid them, wear a mask and limit your time. We have been doing this so already so let’s keep it up! And think again about that Fourth of July Party.

Wash your hands, cover your nose, and keep safe six.

And finally, my caveat is that this is my experience and my opinions, which are subject to change as more information is available, and not related to the organization I work for. Thanks for reading.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/30/science/how-coronavirus-spreads.html