KYW Newsradio’s Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.
By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — We know that COVID-19 can spread in large gatherings, but the larger the crowd, the more difficult to prove.
We know that the virus spreads in the air from person to person, and with small groups, the “campfire analogy” is easy to understand: if a person who is infected is releasing the virus, we can see that not everybody sitting around that campfire is equal in regards to the amount of virus or smoke that they're actually getting into their face.
Small groups are easier to contact trace.
For large groups, especially those who travel for large gatherings, the virus may be brought in and people then get infected.
This is harder to prove and some say without proof, it isn’t true. Of course, the virus is fine with the argument; as an opportunist, the virus goes on its happy way and in its own struggle for survival, takes advantage of our theoretical arguments.