1. < Infectious Diseases

How do common colds transmit?

Posted by maria20 @maria20, 6 days ago

Last Friday I started showing symptoms of a cold. I went out that night and my question is if I could infect my neighbor from across the street when I walked outside their house definetely over 6 feet distance, suppose he had open windows.

Then I stayed home since I started having more serious symptoms and I would open my windows to clear the air, could I infect him that way across the street?

I am asking because 4 days after my cold - on the following Tuesday I learnt that my neighbor died, he was 92. Although they said it was due to aging I can't stop thinking if I infected him and I am feeling very guilty.

I would appreciate an honest answer.

PS: I was negative to both covid and influenzia.

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maria20 | @maria20 | 4 days ago

I want to ask something else that crossed my mind.

My sister had also symptoms of a cold, mainly coughing and sneezing.

That night that I started showing symptoms and went out my sister was with me, we were about 4 minutes outside my neighbor's house - 12ft away - and 3 of them inside a car. She didn't coughed or sneezed either, but since we together produced more particles could they travel to his house or the outside air would also dilute them fast?

REPLY
maria20 | @maria20 | 3 days ago
In reply to @sueinmn "@maria20 I think you can relax and not worry. The cold virus is spread by droplets,..." + (show)
@sueinmn

@maria20 I think you can relax and not worry. The cold virus is spread by droplets, and the chance they traveled that far without falling to the ground is miniscule. Even if they traveled into his hose, your neighbor would then have had to touch the contaminated surface then his nose or eyes to get infected.
And you are right to open your windows to clear the air, but there is no way that can impact others from a distance.
I'm sorry you lost your neighbor, but I cannot see any way that you caused his death.

Jump to this post

@sueinmn
I want to ask something else that crossed my mind.

My sister had also symptoms of a cold.

That night that I went out my sister was with me, we were about 4 minutes outside my neighbor's house - 12ft away - and 2 of them inside a car. Since we produced more particles could they travel to his house or the outside air would also dilute them fast?

REPLY
1 reply
Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | 2 days ago
In reply to @maria20 "@sueinmn I want to ask something else that crossed my mind. My sister had also symptoms..." + (show)
@maria20

@sueinmn
I want to ask something else that crossed my mind.

My sister had also symptoms of a cold.

That night that I went out my sister was with me, we were about 4 minutes outside my neighbor's house - 12ft away - and 2 of them inside a car. Since we produced more particles could they travel to his house or the outside air would also dilute them fast?

Jump to this post

Please stop worrying about this, neither you nor your sister could have infected your neighbor from the distances and limited exposures you are talking about.

The fact that he was very old and so frail that he was bedridden undoubtedly meant he was in very failing health already. The most common reason for death in this case usually whatever disease(s) he might have had, pneumonia from lying in bed (fluid accumulates in the lungs and the body is too weak to fight) or failure of his heart.

REPLY
1 reply
maria20 | @maria20 | 2 days ago
In reply to @sueinmn "Please stop worrying about this, neither you nor your sister could have infected your neighbor from..." + (show)
@sueinmn

Please stop worrying about this, neither you nor your sister could have infected your neighbor from the distances and limited exposures you are talking about.

The fact that he was very old and so frail that he was bedridden undoubtedly meant he was in very failing health already. The most common reason for death in this case usually whatever disease(s) he might have had, pneumonia from lying in bed (fluid accumulates in the lungs and the body is too weak to fight) or failure of his heart.

Jump to this post

@sueinmn ,

I am feeling better now and I start to think more logically. It is true that I could not have infected him from that distance, and I didn't even go to his house where I would infect him.

Thank you very much for listening to me and responding so kindly. I wish you well!!

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