Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Dr Siouxsie Wiles says 'Stay away from people' when you're outside

Dr Siouxsie Wiles. Photo / Sarah Ivey

By RNZ

Now that we know Covid-19 is airborne, people should stay away from others who aren't in their bubble, says microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles.

During the first nationwide lockdown, people were seen socialising two metres apart from one another when out of the house.

Wiles told Nine to Noon that's no longer safe to do with the new knowledge that Covid-19 is airborne.

"Don't hang around and have a chat, connect in other ways," Wiles said.

"We've got phones, we've got Skype, we've got Zoom ... we need to physically disconnect for a little while. Stay away from people."

As a respiratory infection, people will be shedding the virus from their mouth and nose, she said.

"That's why we've seen this airborne transmission."

At the beginning of the pandemic, the focus was on transmission from touching surfaces.

"What we know from Delta is people are likely shedding higher amounts of virus in those very early days before they know they're infectious."

The Jetpark case this week is an example of this, she said. The Delta variant of Covid-19 was transmitted when doors were simultaneously open for just seconds at the MIQ facility.

Delta is a game-changer, Wiles said.

"We know that it's so much more infectious, and if we don't act really fast and really hard then it can be quite difficult to get on top of cases and that is absolutely what we don't want to happen here."

A study in China showed people test positive earlier with the Delta variant, she said.

"So the average day from exposure to testing positive with the previous variants of the virus was about six, but with Delta it looks like it's less than four. So that means that people are infectious earlier and that then means the virus moves quite fast."

It's something you can see in this latest outbreak, she said.

When leaving the house

When you're out of your house, wearing a mask is important, Wiles said, and "anything is better than nothing".

"Just wear something. If all you can get your hands on is a surgical mask or fabric mask then that's fine, if we all wear them then we're much more protected."

Also important is staying within your bubble.

"The really important thing about bubbles is we keep them as small as possible, obviously if you're a single person you can join bubbles with another person. If you are families who are sharing care of people then obviously you can join, but really try to keep those sizes to a minimum."

Someone in your bubble shouldn't connect with someone from another bubble, Wiles said.

"If you are not safe in your bubble then you are obviously free to leave that bubble, so please do get help if you need to."

When you leave your bubble for a reason such as buying food, or for exercise, Wiles said it's important to "mask up and stay as close to home as possible".

"Don't do anything that might mean that you need to be rescued by someone else because obviously you're putting them potentially in danger or you could end up catching the virus that way.

"If you're going to be exercising, keep it simple."

What about taking your dog out for a walk?

Wiles said there have been cases of transmission from owners to their pets, but she's not aware of any the other way around.

"If you're ill, keep your pets away from you, obviously if you're ill you should be getting tested and if you are a Covid case you will be taken to somewhere safer for you and for everyone else.

"I don't think there's been any cases where anyone has picked it up from their pet, it would be much more the other way around."

She didn't think washing your dog after a walk was necessary, but if you're worried about symptoms your pet may have, get in touch with your vet.

Vaccinations

Wiles said vaccinated people are prevented from getting a severe infection.

"We know that unfortunately the vaccines don't stop transmission, they certainly slow it down and reduce it.

"What [studies have] looked at is people who have tested positive, they seem to have a very high viral load at the beginning but then their immune system kicks in and that viral load comes down and that's why they don't get sick.

"It looks like people will be infectious but for a shorter period of time."

It's important that people who are vaccinated take this situation seriously, Wiles said.

- RNZ