• Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
Podcast
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
24/7 Health News
No Result
View All Result
Home Article

We were told to ‘stay home’ to stop COVID. Then our homes became disease hotspots

November 24, 2022
in Article
0
We were told to ‘stay home’ to stop COVID. Then our homes became disease hotspots
file 20221117 13 afcwa6

Lucigerma/Shutterstock

The rapid rise in COVID cases and deaths in March 2020 led Boris Johnson, then prime minister, to tell the British people: “You must stay at home.”

These comments marked the beginning of the first nationwide COVID lockdown, and aligned with similar pronouncements and policies being introduced around the world. Indeed, until vaccines became available, the main policy used to control COVID was for billions of people to stay home.

Even when lockdowns were lifted, home remained a place for infectious people to isolate, and for vulnerable people to shield.

While staying home protected many of us from catching COVID at work, at school, at the shops or while out with friends, it necessarily increased our risk at home. Yet the risk of infection at home wasn’t researched, advised on, legislated about, policed or managed as much as risk at work, school or in public places.

Table of Contents

  • Caught COVID at home? You’re not alone
  • Managing risk at home
  • Making staying at home safer

Caught COVID at home? You’re not alone

The fact that the home would be a hot spot for COVID spread was clear to experts and policymakers early on. Research has since concluded that “households appear to be the highest risk setting for COVID-19 transmission”.

The public seemed to agree. According to one preprint (a study yet to be peer-reviewed), the most common place people infected in England and Wales in 2020 and early 2021 said it had happened was at home.

Numerous studies have shown that if one member of a household becomes infected, a significant minority of other members will generally follow. For example, a review of 87 studies in 30 countries found that on average, 19% of other household members became infected. Data specific to the UK showed higher rates of household spread.

Based on this data, and taking into account the fact that some people live alone and some live with several others, I estimated in my new book that from the start of the pandemic until January 2022, 26%–39% of all COVID infections in the UK among people living in private households were contracted at home. I calculated that these infections led to somewhere between 38,000 and 58,000 deaths.




Read more:
Who gets to decide when the pandemic is over?


Managing risk at home

Dramatic laws were introduced and many billions of pounds were spent on controlling COVID infections outside the home and mitigating the effects of these measures. For example, 11.7 million UK employees were furloughed and supported to stay home at a cost of £70 billion.

However, neither the UK government nor the governments of the nations within it developed significant policy on preventing infection at home, or spent much money on it.

As a result, almost all the burden of preventing infections at home fell to households themselves. Testimonies collected by a series of British cohort studies show that people were aware of the risks. They segregated themselves from loved ones within the home. They moved between homes to separate high-risk and vulnerable household members. They gave up work. They cleaned and cleaned.

However, not everyone had the same resources to manage risk. The UK government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) noted the ability to mitigate risk may be affected by “the physical nature of the home and surroundings”, including house type, number of rooms, ventilation and outside space. Crowded housing with limited facilities would make things more difficult, and Sage said support may be needed for people to ensure their homes were as safe as possible.

Public health advice also highlighted that risk mitigation might not be possible where there were young children, people with learning disabilities or serious mental illness or where an infected or vulnerable person needed or gave care.

A woman feels her daughter's forehead. Both wear masks and the girl is in bed.
Having young children can make it harder to stop COVID transmission at home.
Ground Picture/Shutterstock

The World Health Organization and the UK government advised that infected people should have their own bedroom. UK advice recommended a separate bathroom too where possible. But of course, this wasn’t possible for everyone.

Ministry of Housing data shows that in summer 2020, of the poorest fifth of households in England, 26% had someone shielding and 50% had someone who had to self isolate. However, only 51% had a room in which someone shielding or isolating could sleep alone and only 23% had a second bathroom.

In contrast, of the richest fifth, only 8% had someone shielding and 31% had someone who needed to isolate, but 82% had somewhere for them to sleep alone and 58% had a spare bathroom.

The UK housing system fitted the “inverse care law”, by which people with the most health need have the least help or resources to deal with it.

Making staying at home safer

Lockdowns were essential to stem COVID spread. However, staying home could have been made safer and more effective. Sage noted that while in-home transmission was very common, it wasn’t inevitable.

Sage and Public Health England advice contained a number of recommendations to government to reduce infection risk on the home front. These included offering temporary alternative accommodation to allow for safe shielding and isolation for members of high-risk households.

Another was to provide more advice and practical support, especially for people in shared and overcrowded housing, on safer use of common spaces, as well as management of shielding and isolation.




Read more:
COVID: why working from home leaves the lowest paid at more risk of infection


Finally, Sage called on the government to reduce deprivation and improve housing quality and affordability.

Unfortunately, these ideas remained largely on paper. But more action on infection at home may well have saved thousands of lives and reduced inequalities. This must be front of mind should we face another pandemic in the future.

The Conversation

Becky Tunstall does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

ShareTweetSharePin
Previous Post

Long COVID stigma may encourage people to hide the condition

Next Post

Treating mental illness with electricity marries old ideas with modern tech and understanding of the brain – podcast

Next Post
Treating mental illness with electricity marries old ideas with modern tech and understanding of the brain – podcast

Treating mental illness with electricity marries old ideas with modern tech and understanding of the brain – podcast

Most Read

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

December 15, 2022
morning back pain

Morning Again Ache Trigger Is Not the Mattress

October 11, 2021
lower back pain relief exercises

5 decrease again ache aid workouts

October 11, 2021
3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

October 15, 2021
Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

December 14, 2022
bleeding in gum

When The Bleeding in gum Is Severe ?

October 11, 2021
Good Night Sleep

6 Causes of Good Evening Sleep

October 11, 2021

COVID vaccines: how one can pace up rollout in poorer international locations

October 5, 2021
Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

October 12, 2021
Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

December 16, 2021
Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

December 1, 2021

Multiple sclerosis: the link with earlier infection just got stronger – new study

October 12, 2021
News of war can impact your mental health — here’s how to cope

Binge-eating disorder is more common than many realise, yet it’s rarely discussed – here’s what you need to know

December 2, 2022
Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

December 2, 2022
Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

January 3, 2023
How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

July 6, 2022
The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

January 4, 2022
As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

December 14, 2022
How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

October 24, 2021
Heart disease risk from saturated fats may depend on what foods they come from – new research

Heart disease risk from saturated fats may depend on what foods they come from – new research

November 29, 2021
Late night eating may cause greater weight gain – new research points to why

Late night eating may cause greater weight gain – new research points to why

October 12, 2022

10 Things I Learned During My Body Transformation

October 12, 2021

7 Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

October 12, 2021
Nobel prize: how chilli peppers helped researchers uncover how humans feel pain

Nobel prize: how chilli peppers helped researchers uncover how humans feel pain

October 12, 2021
How air filters can make COVID wards safer for patients and staff

How air filters can make COVID wards safer for patients and staff

December 1, 2021
GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

December 16, 2022
Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

December 22, 2022
Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

December 30, 2022
Why suicide prevention support is crucial for people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Why suicide prevention support is crucial for people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

September 28, 2022
Too hot to handle: Climate considerations for youth sport during the hottest years on record

Too hot to handle: Climate considerations for youth sport during the hottest years on record

July 19, 2022
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS

  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS