8. It’s actually less infectious than airborne viruses such as measles
Yes, COVID-19 is very contagious, but it is not as contagious as airborne viruses, such as tuberculosis or measles. “It is an infectious disease, which is most likely spread via droplet transmission. This means that it requires large droplets containing particles of the virus to infect a new host,” explains Taylor Graber, MD, a resident anesthesiologist at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine.
“That means that overall it is less infectious than an airborne transmission virus or bacteria, such as measles or tuberculosis. For these other pathogens, it is much easier for them to become aerosolized in the air,” Graber notes. “The more that they are in the air, the more infectious they become, since they can infect more patients more quickly. Initial studies have suggested that COVID-19 is not spread via the aerosolized route.”
