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What is a coronavirus?

According to the World Health Organization:

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans. In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

What is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is a potentially lethal infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. COVID-19 is now a pandemic affecting many countries globally.

When do symptoms develop?

The virus begins to replicate itself once inside the body. Typically symptoms will develop within 10-14 days following exposure. The time between infection and developing symptoms is called the incubation period. During this time a person remains infectious and is capable of spreading the disease, unkowningly, to others. This is why it is so important to take steps, like wearing a face covering, to prevent spreading the disease to other people.

Some persons may become infected and never show any signs or symptoms of infection. These people are considered asymptomatic.

How is COVID-19 transmitted?

COVID-19 is believed to spread primarily from person to person through small droplets expelled from the mouth or nose when someone coughs, sneezes, sings or simply speaks. People can catch COVID-19 if they are in close proximity (about 6 feet or 1-2 meters) to a person infected with the virus and breathe in these droplets. This is called droplet transmission.

Because these droplets are relatively heavy, they do not travel far and quickly fall to the ground, or to any objects in their path. For this reason, it is important to stay at least 2 meters away from others outside of your household. This is called physical distancing, sometimes referred to as social distancing.

According to the U.S. CDC, COVID-19 can be spread via aerosolized particles (airborn transmission) in special circumstances:

Pathogens that are mainly transmitted through close contact (i.e., contact transmission and droplet transmission) can sometimes also be spread via airborne transmission under special circumstances. There are several well-documented examples in which SARS-CoV-2 appears to have been transmitted over long distances or times. These transmission events appear uncommon and have typically involved the presence of an infectious person producing respiratory droplets for an extended time (>30 minutes to multiple hours) in an enclosed space. Enough virus was present in the space to cause infections in people who were more than 6 feet away or who passed through that space soon after the infectious person had left. Circumstances under which airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 appears to have occurred include:

Enclosed spaces within which an infectious person either exposed susceptible people at the same time or to which susceptible people were exposed shortly after the infectious person had left the space.

Prolonged exposure to respiratory particles, often generated with expiratory exertion (e.g., shouting, singing, exercising) that increased the concentration of suspended respiratory droplets in the air space.

Inadequate ventilation or air handling that allowed a build-up of suspended small respiratory droplets and particles.

Much before the CDC's acknowledgment of the potential for airborne transmission, scientists shared the concern that the virus may exist in aerosolized particles and may linger in the air, particularly indoors. This is believed to be the case other coronaviruses, including both SARS and MERS. In one example studied by the CDC, a person infected with COVID-19 enjoyed a meal at a restaurant. It was later determined that that individual infected other families at nearby tables. In studying this case, the CDC stated:

Virus-laden small (<5 μm) aerosolized droplets can remain in the air and travel long distances, >1 m. Potential aerosol transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome viruses has been reported.

For this reason, indoor spaces are believed to be a higher risk than outdoor spaces.

Smaller indoor spaces with poor airflow may present a higher risk than spaces with greater air volume. Things such as opening windows can also make a difference in helping prevent transmission of the virus indoors.

Is COVID-19 transmitted by touching inanimate objects (fomites)?

Because the virus may survive outside of the body for a period of time, indirect transmission of the virus has been thought to be a possible mode of transmission. Transmission by fomites (touching an ojbect or surface where infected droplets remain and then touching your face, eyes or mouth) was an early concern with COVID-19. Recent studies, including two studies by the Lancet, suggest that contact with surfaces is an unlikely mode of transmission, particularly when standard cleaning protocols are in place.

Our findings suggest that environmental contamination leading to SARS-CoV-2 transmission is unlikely to occur in real-life conditions, provided that standard cleaning procedures and precautions are enforced. These data would support Goldman's point that the chance of transmission through inanimate surfaces is less frequent than hitherto recognised.

Proper sanitation of surfaces should help minimize the risk of disease transmission.

Can COVID-19 be transmitted in properly treated swimming pool water?

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control:

There is no evidence that the virus that causes COVID-19 can be spread to people through the water in pools, hot tubs, or water playgrounds. Additionally, proper operation of these aquatic venues and disinfection of the water (with chlorine or bromine) should inactivate the virus.

To date, there are no studies of SARS-CoV-2 in treated recreational swimming water. As such it is not known with certainty whether SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted in swimming pool water or, stated differently, whether chlorinated swimming pool water inactivates the virus. With some pathogens, such as cryptosporidium, there are known CT values for inactivation. We do not have this with SARS-CoV-2.

Most scientists believe that because SARS-CoV-2 is not as resilient as other viruses that have been found to be inactivated in chlorinated water (with sufficient contact time), it is probable that SARS-CoV-2 would be inactivated in similar fashion. However, because this has not been proven empiracally, the CDC states simply that there is "no evidence" that COVID-19 can be transmitted through swimming pool water and that properly treated water should inactivate the virus.