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Expert Says People With A 'Loud Voice' More Likely To Transmit Coronavirus

Expert Says People With A 'Loud Voice' More Likely To Transmit Coronavirus

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant says those who burst into song are also just as bad.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Everyone will have the 'one' friend who is a little too loud. Whether they increase the decibels when they get really excited while telling a story or they just have no concept of an inside voice, they can be a bit much to listen to.

However, during a pandemic they can be bad news.

New South Wales Chief Health Officer has revealed people who use 'loud voices' and those who enjoy 'bursting into song' can be more likely to transmit coronavirus if they're infectious, compared to someone who is also positive for Covid-19 but a little bit quieter.

During a press conference, Dr Kerry Chant said they're learning more about the virus as time wears on and they've discovered that behaviours can play a huge factor in the way the pandemic spreads.

New South Wales Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant.
NSW Health/YouTube

"It isn't about the virus, it's often about the behaviours, settings and how infectious people are at the time," Dr Chant said.

Health authorities are working hard to identify outbreaks before they spread and their main aim is to break the 'chains of transmission' early.

Dr Chant continued: "If we can get to them quickly enough we can prevent those chains of transmission. Some of the large numbers reflect those chains going on - you bring it home, three or four people in your household get infected."

In order to prevent these transmissions, people are being asked to check the way they behave in public. So, if you're one of those people who speaks loudly or who gets a little too animated when their favourite song comes on, then you need to eliminate that behaviour.

"That can lead to the projection of droplets and potentially aerosols, and so that's why people close to them can be affected," she said. "It's a mixture of duration, behaviour and the infectivity of the person they're coming into contact with."

Japanese health authorities have been on this trick for weeks and even asked people going to theme parks not to scream when they went on rides.

If you think of your average response to being on a roller coaster, you'd probably think 'screaming, shouting, yelling' - but all of these things should be avoided, according to the new guidelines from national theme park industry group The East Japan and West Japan Theme Park Associations.

According to CNN, the association represents several major theme parks in the country, including Tokyo Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan.

While most of us probably scream our heads off on a roller coaster, the concern is that tiny droplets of saliva could fly from people's mouths and land on either their fellow riders or the seats, presenting a potential risk of infection.

Featured Image Credit: Vic (Flickr)

Topics: News, Australia