Here’s a place where you’re more likely to contract COVID

Many of us are now experts when it comes to avoiding COVID-19. The disease thrives in crowded and closed environments, and our primary way of protecting ourselves is by vaccinating and masking ourselves.

But there’s one specific place that’s a haven for COVID-19, according to a new study, and that’s the gym.

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analyzed 16 people and their exercise routines, examining their exhalation at rest and during movement. The researchers expected that they would produce more exhalation during a workout. But they were surprised how many more aerosol particles the subjects exhaled and how these increased depending on the intensity of the training.

Photo by Trust “Tru” Katsande via Unsplash

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Researchers found that people exhaled about 500 particles per minute at rest. When they’re moving, they exhale over 76,000 particles per minute, especially if their workout is low-impact, like a spin class or boot camp workout. Combine this with a crowded room with poor ventilation, basically most training classes, and it will likely result in a super spreader event even if only one person is infected.

“The study provides mechanistic data to support the notion that indoor exercise is a higher-risk activity when it comes to transmission of COVID-19,” said Linsey Marr, an expert in airborne virus transmission. to the New York Times.

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Despite the risks, measures such as opening windows, keeping six feet apart and installing air filters can reduce risks. While wearing a face mask while exercising isn’t ideal, it can help reduce your aerosol particles. Experts recommend a tight-fitting surgical mask, which can be more comfortable than others and made of more breathable fabrics.

While not all gyms can adopt these measures, they are helpful guidelines these days, especially when you are looking for a safe place to exercise and when COVID rates are high in your area.