Intense Indoor Exercise Increases Risk Of COVID-19 Infection - Study

2023 Author: Abraham Higgins | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 23:16

Intense indoor exercise increases risk of COVID-19 infection - study

Korean scientists investigated cases of coronavirus infection in a dance fitness room in Cheonan.

Photo: pixabay.com

Intense indoor sports create the prerequisites for an increased risk of contracting the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. It may be that lighter exercise is less conducive to transmission. Such conclusions were made by Korean scientists in a new study published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

New scientific work helps to better understand the characteristics of the spread of infection in enclosed spaces. Korean scientists were investigating cases of COVID-19 infection that occurred during one dance fitness class in Cheonan. This settlement received special attention because it was located away from the epicenter of the outbreak in South Korea. The absence of a large number of cases in the region helped to study the spread of the infection.

According to the study, intensive dance fitness classes led to a total of 112 people infected with the coronavirus.

Initially, 27 people from different cities took part in the workshop for dance fitness instructors on February 15 in Cheonan. On the day of the training, none of them had symptoms of illness, the training lasted for four hours. On February 25, one of the instructors was diagnosed with COVID-19; a little later, seven more were diagnosed with the disease.

By March 9, doctors had identified 112 cases of COVID-19 in 12 different sports facilities, in which instructors who received the coronavirus in the February master class worked. About half of these diseases were the result of direct infection by the instructors in the gym, the rest of the infections did not occur in class.

Before the sports facilities were closed, only 217 people visited these 12 fitness centers. 26.3% of them were infected with the coronavirus. Scientists note that this is a high incidence of damage.

"The warm and humid air in a sports facility, as well as the turbulent air movement that is generated by intense exercise, can help transfer individual droplets more efficiently," the scientists said.

Classes were held in small rooms in groups of 5 to 22 people. In smaller groups, no cases of infection were recorded. There were also no reported cases of illness in the Pilates and Yoga group. In this regard, scientists suggest that less intense exercise does not significantly increase the risk of infection.