Health experts fear spread of COVID-19 from protests
By ERIC SEIVERLING
eseiverling@yourmvi.com
If images of thousands of demonstrators nationwide walking arm-in-arm have you nervous that a second outbreak of coronavirus could be right around the corner, you’re not alone.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci has stated that many of the protests against racism and police brutality taking place across the country raise the risk for transmission of COVID-19, saying the protests are “a perfect set-up for the spread of the virus in the sense of creating these blips that might turn into some surges.”
Medical officials in the Mon Valley are prepared for a surge in COVID-19 cases due to the thousands of people who have gathered in protest throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.
“We have talked about that, and yes, in health care we do have a concern,” said Penny Wright, infection prevention and control manager at Mon Valley Hospital. “Some people wear their mask, but the unknown is that you don’t know who you’re standing next to during a protest. It’s the contact that puts everybody at risk. Some people are traveling to multiple places, with multiple crowds. But you have to come home some time.”
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